French Government Reveals New List of Professions That Ensure Faster Regularisation of Foreigners

The French government has updated the list of occupations dealing with a shortage of workers, with the list being published for the first time since 2021.

In addition to unveiling these occupations, the French authorities have revealed plans that aim at making it easier for foreigners of these occupations to obtain residence permits, Schengen.News reports. 

As the data show, labour shortages are evident across many occupations but hotels and restaurants, construction and home help have the largest gaps. 

Undocumented Workers Can Regularise Their Status Thanks to the New Measures 
The new changes will be beneficial to undocumented workers in France, who thanks to this measure can have their immigration status regularised. 

More specifically, if you are an undocumented worker in France of one of the occupations with labour shortages, can benefit from a one-year residence permit and are granted an automatic work permit. 

To be eligible, workers will have to prove three years of residence in France and also present evidence that they have worked in one of the jobs with labour shortages for at least 12 months out of the last 24 months. It is not mandatory for the applicant to have been working this job for a continuous period, which is a big boost for these workers. 

Among the documents required to prove their status, the migrants have to present pay slips, bank statements, and copies of checks or certificates. This measure aims to secure the situation of thousands of workers already involved in the French economy, helping them to get regularised faster.

While the French government has agreed to improve the conditions of undocumented workers in the country, the same approach does not apply to undocumented migrants wanting to get married in the country. 

The French Senate has approved a bill that aims at banning undocumented migrants in France from getting married. This initiative derives from a rise in false marriages with 247,000 cases of such marriages being estimated to happen every year in France. 

Lack of Staff Is Driving Businesses Towards Shutdown 
This measure is a crucial step forward as Frank Delvau, president of the Union of Trades and Industries of the Hotel Industry (UMIH) reveals. 

The Paris-Île-de-France region is one of the major beneficiaries of this measure considering that between 30 and 50 per cent of foreigners in the region are employed in the hotel and restaurant sector. 

Delvau pointed out that about 8,000 restaurants have closed in France in the last year (18 months), with the staff shortage being the main reason for this phenomenon. Employers particularly struggled to fill vacancies requiring shift work, including here evening and weekend work.

Source: https://schengen.news/french-government-reveals-new-list-of-professions-that-ensure-faster-regularisation-of-foreigners/