Imposing an extension of the deadline so that foreigners in a legal situation can benefit from social benefits is a compromise which “costs the majority”, admitted Gérald Darmanin on Sunday, on the eve of the joint joint committee (CMP) of the immigration bill .
“Of course it costs the majority. This was not the general idea of the majority at the beginning and I think that if we want an agreement, we can agree, for example, to withdraw the disabled adult allowance (AAH) from the basket of social benefits likely to be affected by a longer period for a foreigner in a legal situation to be able to benefit from it, explained the Minister of the Interior on BFMTV.
The Senate text plans to impose on foreigners in a legal situation to have to prove their five years of residence to qualify for benefits such as personalized housing assistance (APL) or family allowances, compared to six months currently.
Discussions on “the duration” required to benefit from these allowances
“It is not the government’s desire to keep this article. This is a desire in particular of the Senate and the Republicans,” underlined the minister. “Will we find an agreement on this point? We want it. We are not in favor of this article. Afterwards, you have to take a step,” he observed. He mentioned discussions on “the duration” required to benefit from these allowances.
Gérald Darmanin also considered that such a compromise did not involve the introduction into his reform of the national preference promoted by the far right for years, as the left opposition accuses. “The differences in social benefits for foreigners compared to French people already exist in the law,” argued Mr. Darmanin.
“You only receive the RSA in France five years after your arrival (…), the activity bonus is five years later, the Aspa (solidarity allowance for the elderly) five years later. And in Mayotte, it’s even fifteen years later. So the legislator, and in particular the socialist government, did it,” he explained.