Against the government's advice, the National Assembly adopted on Thursday, December 11, a text for the automatic renewal of long-term residence permits. Carried by socialist deputy Colette Capdevielle, this measure aims to simplify procedures and reduce administrative backlog. It must now be examined by the Senate.
The National Assembly voted on the evening of Thursday, December 11, in first reading, a socialist bill proposal favoring the automatic renewal of multi-year residence permits (up to four years) and ten-year resident cards. Adopted by 98 votes to 37, this initiative relies on the union of left-wing groups, facing low mobilization from the government camp and the far right.
Colette Capdevielle denounced the excessive processing delays, affecting over 99% of approved applications, leading to endless queues and rights disruptions for foreigners: job loss, inability to rent housing, or interruption of health coverage. “We succeed in the feat of clogging a system for less than 1% of files,” she stated. She added: “The administrative machine itself creates precariousness; we are manufacturing undocumented people.”
Delegate Minister Marie-Pierre Vedrenne acknowledged “degraded delays” but opposed the text, citing legal and constitutional risks due to the lack of individualized examination. She argued that the measure would shift the workload without solving issues and overlook cases like an unreported criminal conviction or polygamy.
Debates were heated. Laurent Jacobelli (National Rally) warned of a “grave danger,” accusing socialists of posturing. Capdevielle retorted that the administration could withdraw a permit for public order disturbances and called her opponents “very, very racist.”
This vote occurred during a day when the Assembly adopted other socialist proposals, including one guaranteeing a lawyer for minors under educational assistance (380,000 affected) and another allowing isolated young people to retain protections during appeals.
