In 2023, France issued 323,260 first residence permits, a figure up 1.4% compared to 2022, while expulsions increased sharply, the Interior Ministry announced on Thursday January 25.
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According to the annual report on immigration made public by the Ministry of the Interior, this Thursday, January 25, student residence permits remained almost stable (+1%) at 103,500, making it the first reason for issuance, while those issued for family reasons decreased by 5% to 91,000. On the other hand, residence permits issued for economic reasons increased by 5% to reach 54,630.
Regularizations of undocumented people were almost stable (+0.3%) at 34,400. This includes a 5% increase in regularized undocumented workers, to 11,411, while regularization by the work (on a case-by-case basis, under the responsibility of the prefects) is one of the aspects of the immigration law passed in December.
Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia
In total, the Maghreb countries represented a third of the residence permits issued, with in order: Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. “2023 immigration figures reflect our political priorities», assured the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin on X (ex-Twitter), welcoming a “very significant increase in evictions“. These increased by 10% in 2023 to exceed the 17,000 mark, according to the report. An increase in particular “linked to the resumption of consular cooperation with Algeria», whose nationals are the first to be removed (2,562, +36%), according to the Ministry of the Interior. In detail, forced removals to third countries increased by 13% to 5,700 people.
Gérald Darmanin also welcomed the “4 686 foreign offenders returned to their country of origin in 2023 compared to 3 615 in 2022 (i.e. +30%)“. France also had more than 62,400 displaced Ukrainians settled in France at the end of 2023, beneficiaries of temporary protection. And 61,640 people acquired French nationality (-22%) last year, which according to the ministry represents “the lowest figure since 2018» and is explained by a “raising the level of French proficiency required since 2020»
Increase in first asylum applications
Finally the ministry reports 145,522 first asylum applications (+6%), an increase “significantly lower than the European average» and in particular to Germany which saw a 51% increase in files. Already on Tuesday, the Refugee Protection Office reported an 8.6% increase in asylum applications, to a historic level of 142,500 applications. These figures were published shortly before a highly anticipated decision by the Constitutional Council on the controversial immigration bill.
(With AFP)
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