France issues 16.8% more visas in 2024; Indians among top recipients

The French Home Ministry on Tuesday released its immigration statistics for 2024, showing a rise in visa approvals that exceeded expectations. Education remained the primary reason for these permits, accounting for a third of them—109,300 in total.

 

Visas overall saw a 16.8% increase, with 336,700 first-time residence permits issued—up 1.8% from 2023. This follows a more than 4% rise the previous year. Alongside study permits, family reunification permits were the second most common, while economic and humanitarian reasons also contributed to the increase. The number of renewed residence permits reached 879,900 in 2024.

 

New arrivals by country

 

Looking at first-time residency permits issued in 2024, the top five countries were:

 

 

Morocco: 37,100

Algeria: 29,100

Tunisia: 22,900

China: 14,700

United States: 13,000

 

Afghanistan, Côte d'Ivoire, India, Senegal, and Cameroon were also listed among the top recipients, though specific figures were not provided.

 

The ranking of the top five countries remained unchanged from 2023. However, arrivals from the United States saw the most major shift, increasing by 5.3% from the previous year.

 

Long-term data since 2011 shows a slight rise in US arrivals, with a dip in 2020 and 2021, likely due to Covid-19 restrictions.

 

Types of permits issued

 

New arrivals in France must apply for a residence card based on their purpose for staying, which falls into five categories:

 

Economic: salaried employment or self-employment

Family reunification: joining a French spouse or family member

Student

Humanitarian: asylum seekers and other protected individuals

Other: includes retirees and other exceptional cases

 

Over half of new American arrivals in France come on student visas. This includes those enrolling in semester-long exchange programmes. Many of these students leave after their studies, reflected in renewal data where the US does not appear in the top 10.

 

Among those more likely to stay, 20% of new US arrivals fall under the 'other' category, likely retirees, while 18% are workers and 10% are joining family members.

 

India, China, Cameroon, and Senegal also had around half their new arrivals arriving as students. In contrast, arrivals from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria were more evenly split between students, workers, and family reunification. Tunisians were the most likely to arrive for work, with 35.4% of their residence cards issued for employment purposes.

 

France also issued 36,000 humanitarian residence cards in 2024 to those entering as refugees, though this does not guarantee asylum.

 

Where new arrivals live

 

As expected, residency permit holders are concentrated in larger cities with better job opportunities. The highest densities of non-EU foreigners were found in:

 

Paris and its suburban areas (Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, and Val d'Oise) where between 18% and 26% of the population hold residence permits

Nice, Lyon, Strasbourg, and the rest of the greater Paris region (10-15% of the population)

Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, and Lille (lower but notable numbers)

 

India focus

 

France plans to double the number of visas issued in Bengaluru to 100,000 by 2026, according to its consulate, which has been operating in the city since 2010.

 

Indian students and researchers have been drawn to French universities, particularly in areas like artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and environmental sciences. Beyond the tech sector, Indians in France also work in:

 

Hospitality: Indian cuisine is growing in popularity, leading to more opportunities in restaurants and hotels

Healthcare: Indian doctors, nurses, and eldercare workers find jobs, though fluency in French is often required

Start-ups: Indian entrepreneurs engage with France’s start-up ecosystem, aided by the French Tech Visa programme

Trades and skilled labour: mechanics, technicians, and construction workers enter through specific work permits

 

Several Indian multinational companies, including Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Wipro, maintain a strong presence in France.

 

Indian community in France

 

As of 2023, around 119,000 people of Indian origin were living in France, comprising 29,000 Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and 90,000 Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs), according to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs.

 

The number of Indian students in France has also been increasing. In 2019, there were 10,000 Indian students, with France setting a target of reaching 20,000 by 2025 and 30,000 by 2030.

 

Tourism has also been recovering. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, nearly 700,000 Indian tourists visited France each year. In 2023, the number was 549,770.