Question 12754 — foreigners

Summary

Mr. Sylvain Carrière alerts the Minister of the Interior to the tightening of conditions for obtaining a residence permit and for naturalization applications. For several years, measures aimed at making the regularization of people of foreign nationality more difficult have been increasing. The law of January 26, 2024 known as the “immigration law” thus provides for several new constraints for applications for residence permits and naturalization, notably the creation of a “republican integration contract”. The so-called Retailleau circular of May 2, 2025 also marks a significant tightening of the interpretation of existing texts by the prefectures. Indeed, it increases the language level necessary for naturalization (level B2), calls on prefects to exercise stricter control of the language level for multi-year residence permits and creates an examination compulsory citizenship for naturalization and the issuance of multi-year residence permits. If these measures are presented as a desire to encourage integration, it is clear that they have the opposite effect. The impact study of the “immigration law” estimates that 15 to 20,000 signatories of an integration contract would be refused a multi-year residence permit due to the A2 language level requirement. A France Info investigation published in February 2025 underlines that the civic exam could deprive 40,000 people of a resident card and an additional 20,000 immigrants of the renewal of their residence permit. If there may be an integration problem, it does not come from a lack of will on the part of people but from the poor quality of the welcome that the country offers. The France Info survey reveals the halving of the number of hours of language training, while even as the required levels increase. In addition, waiting times for applications and renewals of residence permits in the prefecture are lengthening, in particular due to the drastic reduction in physical reception staff, which makes people who experience these delays more precarious. According to the NGO Amnesty International, the current renewal system “breaks lives” by imposing a real obstacle course that leads too far often to breaches of rights: suspension of the employment contract, loss of social assistance or even housing, etc. He therefore asks him if he finally intends to break with the policies put in place by his predecessors, by establishing a dignified welcome for immigrants which allows them to integrate peacefully into French society. He asks him what measures he intends to put in place to improve waiting times for application or for the renewal of residence permits at the prefecture.

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