A proposal has been made to suspend immigration in France for three years.
In 2025, a record 4.5 million residence permits were issued in the country.
French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin proposed introducing a three-year moratorium on immigration to the country. He announced this in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.
The minister emphasized that France has reached its "limit" in terms of integrating and assimilating foreigners. Therefore, he stated the need to significantly restrict immigration.
Darmanin also proposed a number of additional measures. These include suspending the right to family reunification for relatives of foreigners who have obtained a work residence permit, and initiating a reform of the French Constitution to introduce immigration quotas.
In his view, the government should have the authority to independently set limits based on the number of applicants, their origin, and their qualifications.
"Let's stop immigration, deport those who need to be deported, and link the issuance of visas to the enforcement of decisions to leave French territory," Darmanin said.
According to the French Ministry of the Interior, a record 4.5 million residence permits were issued in the country in 2025. This is 3.2 percent more than in 2024.
It is noted that every third residence permit was issued on the basis of family reunification. According to official statistics, foreigners legally residing in France make up more than 8 percent of the country's adult population.
The largest number of residence permits were issued to citizens of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey.
