Is France Still Expat Friendly?

What Will Happen to Immigration in France if Marine le Pen Will Be Elected This Year?

In the past, France has been a country that was quite receptive to immigration. That being said, in recent years, there has been a great deal of immigration to France from North Africa and the Middle East, which has caused a divide within the country. The tensions from these groups have caused French citizens with extreme immigration policy viewpoints to desire a protectionist agenda to keep the “pure French culture” in tact. What this means for immigration policy is that France has some very difficult decisions to make in order to eliminate the tensions and violence that the country has experienced in the recent years. What France has to ultimately decide is how they are going to reform their own immigration policies and also whether staying in the European Union is the right decision for France for the years to come.

France’s Immigration Issues

France has a complex immigration situation in that they have to accommodate not only their own citizens, but also any other European Union national that wants to live or work within their borders. To the French with extreme views, this is quite the threat because that means that France is opening her doors to immigrants that have been accepted in other European Union countries, but not necessarily by France.

Either outcome of next year’s election is going to bode some sort of immigration reform within France and it is highly likely that in the wake of recent violence in the country that the regulations and requirements to naturalize in France will become even stricter. There will also be more hurdles for target groups to face in France that are already facing discrimination in the Northern suburbs of Paris and Southern France. These immigration decisions are no easy problem to solve, thus, it will be fascinating to see how France tries to resolve the interior battle that she is facing with her citizens.

How Marine le Pen Would Impact Immigration in France

Marine Le Pen is a major threat to French citizens that have a more leftist view. Marine Le Pen represents a very large threat to French citizens that want to stay in the European Union. That being said, Marine Le Pen has the largest chance of winning next year’s election that she ever has due to the unrest going on in France. In fact, there is a sector of the French population that sincerely wants to leave the European Union in order to close the flood gates to immigration from all over Europe. Marine Le Pen has actively voiced her desires to instigate France’s first attempt at an organized “Frexit.”

While this sounds alarming to many French citizens, Marine Le Pen would still have many hurdles to face if elected next year because she would also have to win the majority in Parliament as well. In France, the elections for Parliament are not decided at the same tame as the presidential election, which would give the French citizens a chance to unite and ensure that her party does not take over the country. This is precisely why even if Marine Le Pen does in fact win, she has quite the battle to face regarding gaining absolute control for her party in the French government, which will mean that she would not possess a great deal of power in office.

Where this is particularly relevant is that the desired “Frexit” that she wants to instigate is highly unlikely because those in other parties that will be in Parliament will be strictly opposed to “Frexit.” Additionally, due to how “Brexit” caused a huge uproar, Europeans now know that it is in fact possible for citizens to vote with the mindset to leave the European Union and French politicians will be more cognizant to protect France from such votes in order to keep the European Union afloat because arguably, without France and Germany, the European Union would have a great deal of difficulty of staying afloat.

Final Remarks on the Subject

As a whole, Europe is at a very unique time politically. Due to the major racial divide that exists on the continent, there has been a powerful protectionist movement that desires to protect European culture. This is particularly true in France, which is why a leader such as Marine Le Pen could potentially win the election. This is precisely why it is important to understand what Marine Le Pen stands for so that it is no surprise if she proposes a “Frexit.” What will be fascinating to see how is how the French people respond when they have their Parliament elections and lastly, how the entire French governmental landscape is after next year’s election. This will be what will determine a great deal of immigration policy for the foreseeable future in France.