A proposal submitted by 16 socialist deputies to the French National Assembly on October 6, 2026, seeks to overhaul the regularization process for foreign workers in sectors facing labor shortages. Since its inception in January 2024, the current system has seen only 1,655 regularizations, falling well short of the government's 10,000-person target. The bill highlights issues such as the discretionary power of prefects and the fear of deportation among applicants as primary causes of failure. To address this, the legislation proposes replacing the current one-year temporary permit with a multi-year residency card valid for up to four years as a statutory right. This new status would cover both essential and high-demand sectors and waive the long-stay visa requirement for irregular migrants, while maintaining the mandatory requirement of a prior work permit.