France has issued 326,954 residence permits in 2023,  2.5% more to foreigners in 2023

The French government has issued 326,954 residence permits in 2023, which is 2.5 per cent more than in the previous year. According to data from the French Interior Ministry, 33.1 per cent of the permits issued, which accounts for 108,375, are study permits, Schengen.News reports.

This type of permit is growing in popularity, as 6.1 per cent more study permits were issued to third-country nationals, excluding UK residents. French authorities granted 91,078 family reunification permits, which marked a 5.1 per cent drop from last year when 95,939 were issued.A decrease in number was noticed across all categories; French families, members of family and those who had personal family ties in France.

However, permits for humanitarian purposes experienced an increase of 12 per cent, with the authorities issuing 46,425 of those in 2023. This is the only type of permit that was not affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and has only grown in the last few years.

In 2023, a total of 54,572 people benefited from work permits issued by France, reaching a new record. Compared to the previous year, the number of such permits increased by 4.9 per cent.

A surge was noticed especially among artists, who were issued 43.2 per cent more permits than in 2022. The number of non-salaried workers also increased significantly (20.6 per cent) reaching 1,691.

However, permits for seasonal workers have dropped by 10.2 per cent, with only 9,180 people benefiting. In 2022, France issued 10,227 work permits for seasonal workers.

The trend of Brits receiving long-term permits from France has been decreasing, with the difference being 17.1 per cent lower. While in 2023, 9,061 Brits were granted permits, in 2022 this number was 11,166 and nearly 100,000 in the previous year.

In total, 326,954 first residence permits were granted, up from 318,000 in 2022 and 287,000 recorded in 2021.