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London: The French justice minister has suggested a radical halt in immigration for “two or three years” to ease pressure on jobs and salaries, declaring the public should have a direct say in the number of people coming to the country.
Gérald Darmanin, a conservative who is preparing for the next presidential election, outlined the idea in a television interview that sparked headlines when new figures revealed the migrant intake rose 11.2 per cent last year.
The French debate comes as the Spanish government takes a sharply different approach by accepting migrants even when they flout the rules, announcing this week it would grant legal status to as many as 500,000 who are already in the country without approval.
The contrasting policies highlight the deep divisions in Europe over migration and the potential for the issue to shape some of the biggest elections on the continent, including national ballots in France and Spain next year.
Concerns about migration are even shaping the debate about international stars who choose to live in France. One junior minister admitted there was talk of “double standards” when movie star George Clooney was granted citizenship even though he does not speak French.
Darmanin, a former interior minister, raised the idea of an immigration pause but does not have direct responsibility for setting the policy and would need support in the National Assembly – the sharply divided parliament – to enact the changes.
“For example, let’s imagine a suspension of immigration for two to three years,” he told French channel CNews, regarded as a conservative broadcaster.
“We could imagine this. I am among those who had spoken of a moratorium. Why not?”
Darmanin did not set out a detailed plan, but he argued that salaries should be higher for French people and existing foreign residents, and that migrants were taking jobs at low cost.
In a post on social media to distribute a clip of his television interview, he said he wanted to consult the French people on setting a “quota policy” for immigration, combined with the “two- or three-year” suspension to help integrate foreigners on French soil.
French President Emmanuel Macron is hoping to see off challenges within the National Assembly to the government led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, but all parties are positioning to win the presidential election due by April next year. Macron cannot seek another term.
The likely candidate for the right-wing National Rally, Jordan Bardella, wants to slash immigration and has gained ground in opinion polls, although party leader Marine Le Pen may run for president if she overturns a conviction for embezzlement that has barred her from running.
Darmanin is a senior member of Les Républicains, a conservative political party that forms part of the current government but will compete with Macron’s party, Renaissance, at the next elections. He joined party colleague Michel Barnier, a former prime minister, in calling for a moratorium on immigration five years ago.
The French interior ministry released figures on Wednesday showing 384,000 residency cards were issued to foreigners in 2025, up 11 per cent on 2024.
Student visas made up a big part of the intake, with 118,000 issued during the year, and humanitarian permits rose sharply to 92,600. The number of permits for migrants coming for economic reasons, such as those taking up a job, fell by 13 per cent to 51,000, according to Radio France Internationale.
Among those gaining French citizenship last year were Clooney and his wife Amal, a prominent human rights lawyer, and their two children, who share a home in Provence.
France’s junior interior minister, Marie-Pierre Vedrenne, acknowledged on December 31 that this raised questions because Clooney acknowledged he was not fluent in French.
“Personally, I understand the feeling of some French people of a double standard,” she said. “We need to be careful about the message we’re sending.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez, however, defended the decision.
Amid the French debate on an immigration halt, the Spanish government is taking a different approach with its decision to put a new law to parliament that would grant at least one year of legal residence to people who are already in the country without permits.
Spanish Minister of Migration Elma Saiz estimated this could help 500,000 people living in Spain without authorisation.
The draft plan would grant legal status to foreigners who arrived in Spain before December 31 last year and could prove they had lived in the country for at least five months without any criminal record.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has been a vocal supporter of giving asylum to people fleeing persecution and has argued against the curbs on immigration advocated by right-wing parties, setting up a major test on the issue at the national election due by August next year.
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David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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