The smart ones can stay

Interior Minister Claude Guéant made the announcement today Copyright Elections Meter

Accompanied by Minister of Work Xavier Bertrand and Laurent Wauquiez, the Minister of Higher Education, French Interior Minister Claude Guéant announced today his plans to present a project to “lift misunderstandings” between foreign students and the government.

The new iniatiative instructs prefects to ensure that "the necessary immigration control work is not done at the expense of the attractiveness of the higher education system or the needs of some of our high-level businesses. "

Therefore, the 31^st May 2011 policy will be withdrawn. After some reassessment, the government has pointed out that the policy was "too brief" for the situation of students. It was also seen as a restriction for graduates seeking employment in France for first-job experience, causing concerns among academics.

The government had requested prefects be stricter in assessing applications by non-Europeans who have studied in France and who wanted permission to stay in the country to work. A collective of universities and grandes écoles were outraged, forcing ministers to meet with their representatives and rediscuss plans.

Mr Wauquiez claimed that there was no “policy of closing off entry to France”, and that the problem was not the policy but the way it was being “applied”.
 
Now, the government is hoping to erase the disastrous effects caused by the controversy, claiming that it is not confusing immigration policies and the protection of young graduates.

Students must now have studied for at least a master's degree to be eligable for residency in France. These "high potential academics", as Laurent Wauquiez referred to them on this morning’s RTL radio program, are key to the attractiveness of France as well as to the competitiveness of France’s companies. The government says that the policy is intended to help "recruit individuals regardless of their nationality, provided that they have skills that these companies can not do without. The knowledge of a country or a foreign culture can be a specific skill that the new and upcoming job market requires."
 
Article 311-11 of the code of residence for foreign students now states that a temporary residence permit of six months may be issued immediately to graduates and possibly extended.

However, critics say irreversible damage has already been done. "We are waiting to see how this will be explained and implemented," warns Fatma Chouaieb, a spokesperson for the withdrawal team of the policy. "Major damage has already been done. Many young people have already had to give up their jobs and return to their countries."

Louise Kirby