Correct after-sales service. Guest of BFMTV-RMC, Olivier Véran defended the future immigration bill, whose guidelines were revealed this Wednesday by the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin and the Minister of Labor Olivier Dussopt in an interview with World. A theme crystallizes the tensions: the possibility granting a residence permit to people in an irregular situation but who work in a sector that has difficulties in recruiting.
While the right and the extreme right are rebelling against this measure -Marine Le Pen described it as a “campaign to regularize illegal immigrants”-, Olivier Véran insisted on the regularization of an already existing situation.
“We are talking about allowing people who, today, occupy absolutely fundamental positions for the functioning of our economy” to work not “in an illegal situation”, but “to do so in a legal situation”, explained the government spokesman.
Currently, if “a person in a clandestine situation [est employée] more than 8 months” in a company and has been “in our country for more than five years” then, “in this case the employer can ask that his employee stay in regular situations in France”, explained Olivier Véran. He was referring to the content of the “Valls circular”, which bears the name of the former Prime Minister of François Hollande.
“Reverse the burden of proof”
Once this observation was made, the former Minister of Health took the opportunity to highlight the problem of this situation:
The employer “must take steps that can sometimes [lui] cost between 8,000 and 10,000 euros, which means that we count on their good will to regularize”.
Thus, according to Olivier Véran, Gérald Darmanin and Olivier Dussopt propose “reversing the burden of proof”. He explains: “Someone who is in an irregular situation in our country but who has a job, that is to say, who can support himself, who is integrated into the country, who speaks French, who respects republican values, who could in this case start the procedures tomorrow to obtain a residence permit and keep your job.
In addition, Olivier Véran, responding to criticism from the right and extreme right, affirms that this measure does not hide a “mass naturalization or regularization plan”. Thus, he assured that “the number one objective” of the Government is “to connect the jobs to be filled with people in France who do not have a job, are in RSA or unemployed.”
And specify in passing, “that having said that, there are still jobs in agriculture, restoration, construction where we need people who can fill these positions.”
Nothing “incompatible” with the “republican” parties
Part of the left is also distancing itself from the executive’s proposal, but for different reasons than those of the right and the extreme right. First of all, it underlines the issue of wages.
“I reject a chosen immigration. (…) People must be able to live from their work and have a status and income,” defended, for example, François Ruffin on Sud Radio.
The rebel deputy demanded “status and income” for all care professions. Olivier Véran responded on BFMTV-RMC that the government measure “does not at all prevent” work “in parallel on the attractiveness of the so-called ‘tension’ professions”.
The fact is that the government will have to convince to gather opposition voices in its future bill, which is scheduled to be examined in early 2023. The executive’s provision on residence permits could particularly curb the right , most of whom hope to get the votes. . However, the withdrawal of the measure is obviously not considered so far.
“It seems to me that nothing that has been proposed […] it is incompatible with the projects, not only of the republican right”, but also of “the republican left”, as Olivier Véran explained.
Source: BFM TV
