the examiner wrote:
Immigration in the US or Canada or Australia is not processed in the same way as in France. In north America there are immigration rules which are based on the country's needs economy wise. In France there are rules too but they are based on politics more than other things. France tends to take in immigrants from their old colonies in north and west africa because they want to show those immigrants that France is still a great and generous country ("Grandeur de France" ) even if they don't really fit the requirements in terms of job qualifications. As a result, many immigrants find themselves jobless in a society where life is more expensive and where local people do not want them.
Of course ex-colonial countries tend to take immigrants from their former possessions.
But France, like Britain, brought immigrants from overseas when there was a real shortage of labour after the war and in the 50s.
After the destruction of WWII, immigrants were needed to rebuilt the countries, do menial jobs, provide labour in services, transport and industries, as well as mining.
Nothing to do with 'grandeur' or the desire to 'look good'.
The present unemployement situation among immigrants is due to economic unbalance and also because many unskilled jobs have now vanished.