French Senate passes bill on controlling immigration

PARIS

France's Senate, or upper house of parliament, passed a bill on immigration Tuesday.

The bill, which aims to control immigration by toughening the language and measures and making it easier for authorities to expel foreigners who commit crimes, passed with 210 votes in favor and 115 against.

It would introduce an annual quota for the number of migrant arrivals to be set by parliament.

The Senate began debating the bill on Monday.

The project aims to toughen the family reunification process, suppressing state medical assistance and requiring French language proficiency as a condition for a residency permit, among other measures.

Article 3 of the draft law was the most debated and is related to giving a one-year residency permit under certain conditions to irregular foreign workers who operate in "sectors under tension" that suffer from labor shortages.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin recently said the legislation “is about being firm” on immigration.

The bill's passage is far from guaranteed in the National Assembly, or lower house, where no side has a majority.

*Nur Asena Erturk contributed to this report from Ankara