France seeks to become more inviting to immigrants

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Do you want to become a French citizen? You'd better know what slam poetry is.

That was the experience of a US immigrant to France who I recently read about in the New York Times.

She had to take a French culture and history test, which is mandatory for those who apply for French citizenship. One question she was asked, among other bizarre questions, was: "Is slam poetry a collective activity?" Luckily, she knew the answer and passed her test.

The story highlights the frustrating experience of many expatriates in France who are seeking French citizenship. They will be required not only to prove French-language proficiency equivalent to that of a 15-year-old native speaker, but they also will be tested on subjects that are sometimes random and mystifying.

But the good news is that French Interior Minister Manuel Valls, who himself is an immigrant from Barcelona, Spain, is planning to scrap such tests and make changes to the "random and discriminatory" procedures enacted by former French president Nicolas

Sarkozy. Valls said the aim of the move is to end "the arbitrariness of current immigration policies" without necessarily making broad concessions to illegal immigration.

What's more encouraging is that he is also considering replacing the one-year renewable residence permit for foreign residents with a three-year residence authorization.

Although there has yet to be a draft legislation submitted to the French Parliament, the move by the government has been welcomed by immigrants, foreign students and employees in France.

Lawyers and experts said that immigrants and foreign students are assets to the French economy, and it would benefit from the contribution of those who will be able to help French companies expand their footprint internationally.

The simplification of obtaining residency or work permits for non-EU employees will also encourage French companies to hire more international skilled workers.

But one compelling fact was the surging voice of far-right voters during the presidential campaign in May, which reflected a sharply polarized society in France.

Far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, who called for reinstating France's tight border controls and cutting immigration by 90 percent, received an unprecedented 17.9 percent of the votes during the campaign.

Le Pen's call seemed like nonsense to me because French society is built on and benefits from its cultural and racial diversity. But the rise of anti-immigration voices on the far right reflects the persistent fears about the dangers of mass immigration that are often

associated with high unemployment, a high crime rate and social unrest. The recent riot in the northern French city of Amiens has reinforced such fears and put the Socialist government in a difficult situation.

What people like about France is its diversity and ability to accommodate people with different cultures and racial backgrounds. But

naturalization, a major part of the integration process for immigrants, has dropped by 40 percent over the past two years.

Valls told the French newspaper Le Monde in a recent interview that he was appalled by the fact that foreigners have to wait outside

police stations for hours on cold nights to renew their residence permits.

"That is not France," he said.

And I second that.

About the broadcaster:

CJ Henderson is a foreign expert for China Daily's online culture department. CJ is a graduate of the University of Sydney where she completed a Bachelors degree in Media and Communications, Government and International Relations, and American Studies. CJ has four years of experience working across media platforms, including work for 21st Century Newspapers in Beijing, and a variety of media in Australia and the US.