InfoMigrants

Family reunification now accounts for only a very small proportion of first-time residence permits issued each year for family reasons: 5 percent. A new study by the National Institute for Demographic Studies describes a decline over the past 50 years, which can be explained by greater restrictions on accessing the permit but also by the changing profiles of applicants, who are younger and more educated, and who mostly start their families after arriving in France.

Family reunification now represents only 5 percent of first-time residence permits issued each year in France for family reasons. On average, 11,000 family reunification permits were issued each year between 2020 and 2023, according to a report by the National Institute for Demographic Studies (INED) published on April 29.

In 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, 12,885 family reunification permits were issued, out of more than 80,000 granted for family reasons (5 percent).

This type of residency permit "is steadily declining," the study explained. In 2000, family reunification still accounted for 11 percent of first-time residency permits issued for family reasons.

As a reminder, other situations that qualify for a "private and family life" residence permit, as defined by French immigration law include: being married to a French citizen, being the parent of a child born in France, being the foreign child of a French parent, etc.

Two to three times fewer family reunifications in 20 years

While the average number of permits issued between 2000 and 2023 was 11,000, it was much higher 20 years ago. Between the late 1980s and early 1990s, 20,000 to 32,000 family reunification permits were issued each year -- two to three times more than today.

Those applying for family reunification today are primarily from North Africa (51 percent) and sub-Saharan Africa (28 percent), INED reported – a trend that has changed little, although the nationalities are diversifying, with no fewer than 115 nationalities having applied in 2023.

Family reunification was established 50 years ago. The decree of April 29, 1976, came two years after the suspension of labor immigration, INED explained: it was a political measure conceived at the time to improve the integration of workers already in France.

'The most feminized pathway to residency' of all family-based permits

Its scope covers third-country nationals (outside the EU) holding a residence permit, excluding asylum seekers. Other conditions apply, such as stable income (at least minimum wage, excluding family benefits) and the suitability of the accommodation for the family (a size requirement was introduced in 1999).

In 2023, 81 percent of applicants were men. The beneficiaries were predominantly women, followed by children. Family reunification is thus "the most feminized route to residency of all family-related permits," the study explained.

Conversely, it is less common to see women use it to bring their husbands and children, and it is almost exceptional for same-sex couples to do so: less than 1 percent of applications, although this possibility has been available since 2013 with the legalization of same-sex marriage in France.

Series of restrictions

Even though the acceptance rate remains high, with 82 percent of applications for family reunification permits approved, the study cited tightening "migration policies" as the primary reason for the sharp decline over the past twenty years.

Additionally, the required period of legal residence to apply to bring family members to France has increased. Previously, the family member brought in received a residence permit of the same duration as the family member bringing them in; since 2003, the permit has been limited to one renewable year. Finally, since 2006, the permit can be revoked in the event of the separation of spouses or family breakdown within three years of the reunification.

Furthermore, processing times are increasing. In 2023, the average time between the registration of an application and the administrative decision was 10 months. This is longer than the legal timeframe demanded of prefectures, which is six months. In the Île-de-France region, the average time even exceeds 12 months, INED reported, even though the number of applications to be processed has stagnated, or even decreased, in recent years in the Paris region.

'Younger, more educated' applicants who marry and start families after arriving in France

A second explanatory factor: "The family model on which it is based is poorly suited to the profile of new migrants," INED said. Initially, family reunification was designed for a specific profile: a worker who already had a family in their country of origin and who wished to bring them over after arriving in France.

However, in 2023, 60 percent of family reunification applicants were immigrants who entered France as adults without being married or having children, according to INED. "This trend reflects the overall changes in the profiles of new migrants, who are more often single and childless upon arrival, having entered France with student permits," the study emphasized. These individuals are "younger and more educated."

Family reunification is thus "primarily sought by men from North Africa or sub-Saharan Africa who have started families abroad after arriving in France." Some marry remotely from France before initiating the reunification process. Others build their entire lives as couples and families in their home countries.

In any case, "these changes make family reunification a system less suited to contemporary migration and family realities than it was when it was first established," the study argued.

Other pathways to regularization

Faced with these restrictions and inadequacies, "it is possible that families have given up on submitting an application and have turned to other grounds for admission to residency, whether family-related or not," the study explained. Overall, "the number of permits issued to family members of foreign nationals outside of family reunification programs increased between 2000 and 2023."

What are these other pathways? For example, the "talent passport" in 2016 facilitated the arrival of families of highly skilled workers. For the most vulnerable individuals already in France but without proper documentation, the "Sarkozy" policy of June 13, 2006, and the "Valls" policy of November 28, 2012, created a framework for regularization, including for parents of a child attending school in France or spouses of a legal foreign national. In addition, other types of regularization, such as "student permits or economic and humanitarian reasons," are on the rise, INED reported.