Mixed picture for migration in France as permits rise and enforcement steps up

A French gendarme asks for the identification document of a passenger of a commercial bus during roadside inspections of commercial buses at a motorway toll booth, as part of a national operation targeting illegal and clandestine immigration north of Bordeaux, southwestern France, on 20 May 2025. AFP - PHILIPPE LOPEZ

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.