Overview
- France’s justice minister outlined a pause on immigration for family reunification and employment with exceptions for doctors, researchers and some students.
- He paired the pause with a plan for a later quota system decided by referendum, which he said could be modeled on Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan.
- Interior ministry data released this week show 384,230 residency cards issued last year and nearly 4.5 million legal immigrants living in France.
- Darmanin lacks direct authority over migration policy, the proposal remains short on legislative detail, and observers judge passage before upcoming elections unlikely.
- A CSA poll reported 67 percent voter support for the idea, as Spain advances a contrasting move to grant legal status to up to 500,000 undocumented residents.