Fresh data has shed light on how policy changes are reshaping migration in France, from student and humanitarian arrivals to asylum, enforcement and citizenship.
France issued 384,230 first residence permits last year, marking an over 11 percent increase on the previous year, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Interior Ministry.
The rise confirms France’s continued role as a major destination for students, refugees and other newcomers, even as the government tightens certain migration pathways.
At the same time, the number of people regularised – foreigners without legal status who are granted residence permits – fell sharply.
A total of 28,610 people were regularised in 2025, down just over 10 percent on the year before.
According to data from the Directorate-General for Foreigners in France (DGEF), regularisations fell both for economic reasons, down 11.5 percent, and for family reasons, which declined by 6.4 percent.
Officials pointed to a change in policy earlier in the year. “There is the impact of the Retailleau circular,” published in January 2025, said Guillaume Mordant, head of the DGEF’s statistics department. The circular was designed to underline the “exceptional nature” of regularisations and to tighten the conditions under which they are granted.
Students, humanitarian permits drive overall rise
Looking more broadly at residence permits, student visas remained the main driver, with around 118,000 issued over the year.
Humanitarian permits saw particularly strong growth, rising by 65 percent to 92,600, reflecting ongoing international crises and France’s response to them.
By contrast, permits issued for economic reasons fell by 13 percent year on year, to 51,190.
“The decline concerns employees, down 11 percent, and seasonal workers, which fell by nearly 30 percent,” Mordant explained, highlighting a shift in labour-related migration trends.
Enforcement measures also intensified. Arrests of people in an irregular situation rose by 30 percent last year, with particularly sharp increases among Algerians, up 52 percent, Tunisians, up 33 percent, and Moroccans, up 19 percent.
Deportations increased by almost 16 percent overall, with 24,985 people sent back. Forced removals alone rose by 21 percent, reaching 15,569.
Fewer asylum claims
Asylum applications, meanwhile, continued to ease. There were 151,665 applications in 2025, a decrease of 3.7 percent, meaning that “applications are down for the second consecutive year,” Mordant noted.
The main countries of origin were Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan – each with around 11,500 applications – followed by Haiti, Sudan and Guinea.
Despite fewer applications, recognition rates climbed significantly. The approval rate reached 52 percent last year, meaning that more than one in two applicants was granted asylum.
“We were around 40 percent five or six years ago,” Mr Mordant recalled, pointing to a marked shift in outcomes.
Finally, the number of people acquiring French nationality also declined. In total, 62,235 people became French citizens, a fall of just under 7 percent after what officials described as a “fairly high” year previously.
This was largely due to a 13.5 percent drop in naturalisations by decree, following a circular issued in May that tightened the conditions for granting nationality.
(with newswires)
