France’s Interior Ministry has released its annual immigration figures, showing that the country delivered a record 384,000 first-time residence permits in 2025—an 11 % increase on 2024. Remarkably, fully one-half of those newcomers arrived either on student visas or on humanitarian grounds. The student stream grew 6.4 % to almost 118,000 permits, cementing France’s position as the fourth-most popular study destination worldwide. Universities report especially strong demand from the United States, China and Cameroon as anglophone programmes proliferate and tuition remains comparatively low.
Humanitarian admissions, meanwhile, jumped 65 % to about 92,000 permits. Afghans, Ukrainians and Haitians benefitted most, with the asylum-protection rate hitting a historic 52 %. Officials attribute the surge to Europe’s continued conflicts and France’s decision to convert many Ukrainians’ temporary-protection cards into full asylum status.
By contrast, so-called “economic immigration” fell 13 % to just over 51,000 permits. Employers blame a sluggish construction and services market and tougher vetting of seasonal-worker contracts. Yet the highly-skilled “Talent Passport” scheme bucked the trend, climbing 4.4 % to 20,000 approvals as France courts researchers and tech founders ahead of the 2026 Olympic year.
Navigating France’s shifting visa landscape can be daunting, but platforms like VisaHQ simplify the process by providing up-to-date requirements, document checklists and real-time tracking for everything from student visas to the Talent Passport. Their dedicated France portal (https://www.visahq.com/france/) lets individuals and HR teams prepare complete applications before scheduling consular appointments, reducing the risk of delays or refusals.
Regularisations of undocumented migrants declined 10 % after a January 2025 directive lengthened the minimum residence period from three to seven years. At the same time, expulsions rose 16 % to 25,000—the highest level since 2014—underscoring the government’s twin track of welcoming students and refugees while tightening controls on irregular migration.
For global-mobility managers the figures highlight two takeaways: France remains attractive for education and top talent, but corporate transfers in lower-skill categories face greater scrutiny. Companies should plan for longer lead times, with seasonal-worker refusals topping 50 % in some sectors.(lemonde.fr)
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