The French parliament has passed legislation prohibiting Nigerian students and others from bringing their families to France.
According to a report by the BBC on Thursday, the measure was supported by both President Emmanuel Macron‘s centrist Renaissance party and Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally.
Last week, parliament rejected a prior proposal after the National Rally, and the left voted against it. As a result, the government redrafted the measure, making some of its provisions more stringent.
The new, stricter immigration policy makes it more difficult for migrants to bring family members to France and delays their eligibility for social benefits.
In calculating eligibility for benefits, a contentious rule discriminates between citizens and migrants, including those who are legally present in the nation.
The stricter version drew support from right-wing parties on Monday.
Ms. Le Pen lauded the amended bill, calling it an “ideological victory” for the far-right.
“This is our bill,” said Eric Ciotti, the leader of the right-wing Republican party. He called it “firm and courageous.”
But left-wingers said Mr. Macron was enabling the far right. “History will remember those who betrayed their convictions,” Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure said.
32 of France’s 101 departments, including Paris, said they would refuse to implement the provisions of the law on benefits for non-citizens.
The French vote came just hours before an EU accord to revamp the bloc’s 27-member asylum system.
The new agreement, reached by EU governments and European Parliament members, includes the establishment of border holding centers and the expedited deportation of rejected asylum applicants.
The new approach, hailed as a watershed moment by Parliament President Roberta Metsola, allows asylum seekers to be moved from southern member states with the highest number of entries to other countries.
