As in most European countries, migrants and refugees are at the center of heated public and political debates in France. But these debates are taking place in national contexts that may vary greatly from one country to another. In the case of France, they highlight a series of paradoxes in the country’s relationship with immigration.
Paradox 1: one of the oldest countries of immigration in Europe but not a major destination for immigrants in relation to population size
France has a longer history of immigration than most other countries on the European continent. German artisans as well as Belgian, Italian and Polish workers flocked into France from the beginning of the 19th century until the Second World War, alongside refugees from Armenia, Eastern Europe, Germany or Spain. Following WWII, a growing number of persons arrived from the former French colonies then in the process of decolonization. Migration relationships were first established between the former colonial power and a few North African countries, and subsequently with states in sub-Sahara Africa.
Despite the historical significance of immigration, France now has one of the lowest numbers of newly arriving immigrants relative to its population among OECD countries. In terms of absolute numbers, France remains among the top five countries of destination in Europe, but the trends observed in other western European countries are far more pronounced. In recent years, international students have constituted the largest immigrant flow, followed by family reunification, mostly to join French nationals. Since 2015, asylum seekers and refugees have represented a growing share of the immigrant population. Gradually, they are reshaping the profile of immigration, as they are coming from countries – such as Afghanistan, Sudan or Bangladesh – that have no colonial ties with France.
Paradox 2: stricter immigration policies in an increasingly diverse society
Past and present immigration has profoundly changed the composition of French society. Nearly one in four French citizens has at least one immigrant grandparent. France is also home to Europe’s largest Jewish and Muslim communities. At the same time, immigration and asylum policies have become increasingly strict. Pathways to regularization have largely been closed, family reunification options have been cut, and reducing the number of asylum seekers and stepping up returns have become main priorities, though the efforts have seen limited success in practice in terms numbers. The debates are progressively shifting into new fields. First, the alleged generosity of France’s welfare system is claimed to be the main pull factor for migrants. Second, migrants – particularly third-country nationals perceived as Muslim – are frequently depicted as a threat to French identity. However, these views stand in stark contrast to two core principles of the French social contract: equality and universalism.
Paradox 3: The CEAS and French immigration policies, two parallel worlds
France has always been a proponent of an EU response to migration challenges. The French EU presidency in 2022 helped advance the legislative reform of the Common European Asylum System (CEAS). However, discussions on immigration and asylum in the French Parliament rarely include EU policies. This was evident with the latest bill on immigration adopted in December 2023 after months of heated debates. The EU Pact only resurfaced in migration-related debates in France when the European Parliament had to cast its final vote in April 2024 in the context of the upcoming European elections. However, the leaders of each French electoral list campaigned on domestic immigration issues rather than importing debates on the EU level to France. This is likely due to the fact that the complexity of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum and, more broadly, of the challenges related to immigration do not align with the increasingly polarized and conflict-ridden political scene in France and the calls for straightforward, simple answers.
