The French Immigration Minister Brice Hortefeux is due to unveil a series of guidelines on immigration, which EU officials say will set the immigration agenda in Europe for years to come.
The proposed package will be built on the newly agreed returns directive, which obliges states to give residency to illegal immigrants or to send them home.
It also empowers governments to detain people for up to 18 months during processing, and recommends that EU member states select immigrants according to their needs.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has indicated that immigration will be one of the main issues during his country's six-month presidency of the EU.
