French visas, cartes de séjour and removals of foreign nationals in 2025

More foreign nationals live in France with valid residence permits than at any point on record, according to figures published by the interior ministry, with more visas and cartes de séjour issued than in 2024, alongside a rise in removals of people without legal status.

France ended 2025 with more than 4.5 million valid residence permits in circulation, a year-on-year increase of just over 3%, described by the authorities as unprecedented. 

The figures, published by the Direction générale des étrangers en France (DGEF), show growth both in the overall number of permits and in new permits issued during the year.

First-time cartes de séjour

In total, 384,230 first residence permits were issued in 2025, an increase of 11.2% compared with 2024. 

Student permits remained the leading category, with around 118,000 issued, followed by those on humanitarian grounds, which saw the sharpest rise. 

Permits issued for humanitarian reasons increased by 65% to 92,600, reflecting the continued weight of asylum-related protection.

By contrast, permits issued for economic reasons fell by 13% over the year, to just over 51,000. 

The decline was particularly marked for seasonal workers, while permits for salaried employment also fell.

Alongside new permits, renewals continued to rise, contributing to the overall increase in the number of foreigners legally resident in France. 

Family-related permits now account for around one third of all valid residence titles.

Visas

The number of visas issued also increased. The interior ministry said both applications and visas granted continued to rise in 2025, extending a trend observed since 2024, though at a more moderate pace. Short-stay visas accounted for the greater part of the rise.

At the same time, regularisations (the process which leads to the stabilisation of an immigrant's status within France) declined sharply. Just 28,610 people were regularised in 2025, a fall of 10.1% compared with the previous year. 

The decrease affected both economic and family-based regularisations. The DGEF attributed the drop in part to the impact of a January 2025 circular tightening the conditions under which regularisation can be granted.

Expulsions

Enforcement activity increased, but more unevenly.

Police interpellations of people in an irregular situation rose by around 30% in 2025. The number of removals from French territory reached 24,985, up almost 16% year on year. Forced removals alone increased by 21%, to 15,569.

Asylum demand, however, fell slightly. 151,665 asylum applications were registered in 2025, down 3.7%, marking a second consecutive annual decline. 

Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Afghanistan were the main countries of origin. The acceptance rate rose to 52%, meaning more than one applicant in two was granted protection.

Finally, 62,235 people acquired French citizenship in 2025, a fall of 6.8%, largely due to fewer naturalisations by decree following a tightening of rules in mid-2025.