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During the Second World War, some people of Jewish faith fled the country from the persecution of the Third Reich. The Vichy regime immediately took measures against the immigrant population, qualified as "metèques". A commission to review the naturalisations carried out since the 1927 reform was set up in July 1940, while after the law on the status of Jews, the law of 4 October 1940 on "foreign nationals of Jewish race".

Immigrants were often forced to live in shanty towns on the outskirts of the big cities. After the war, the industrialisation of the country attracted a growing number of foreigners looking for work. This was a decisive stage in the migratory flows that fuelled our country's economy, which is intertwined with French colonial history.

Current situation

Since 1979, many wars up to now such as the war in Afghanistan or Syria have provoked huge waves of immigration, thousands of migrants from the Middle East have come to France to flee misery and war and look for work and housing.

Since 1945, immigration to France has remained a marginal phenomenon. Between 1946 and 1954, the foreign population in France did not increase, so to speak. The number of Belgians, Poles and Spaniards is in slight decline. 50,000 Italians are settling, but not much more.

Despite the health situation, the migration pressure will have been strong in France in 2021.That year, demand had already increased by 28% compared to 2019.

In addition, no less than 100,000 asylum seekers still crowded the counters of the French Office for Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra).

How France is responding to immigration

The top country of origin for asylum seekers remains Afghanistan.

Regarding asylum applications, since the refugee crisis in 2015 and until 2019, France has recorded an average of 1,650 applications per 1 million inhabitants each year, which is an asylum application rate equivalent to 0.17% of its population.

But to take an objective look at the French migration situation and regain a sense of proportion, it is important to take into account the immigrants who decide to leave the country each year. In France, net migration (immigrants entering and leaving the country) rose from 142,000 in 2010 to 198,000 in 2017, which corresponds to a net immigration rate of 0.22% in 2010 and 0.30% in 2017. An increase that should obviously be noted, but which remains modest to say the least.

The brain drain in France

In France, we regularly talk about brain drain, without really knowing if it is a myth or a reality.

According to data from the professional social network LinkedIn, which regularly studies the "relocation" of its members, France is losing qualified people. This is a confirmation and no longer just an intuition : we are the second country in the world, just after India, whose balance between qualified people who leave and those who return is the most negative. It is not yet an exile, but the French context seems to encourage more and more people to go abroad. This is enough to worry politicians and to reopen the age-old debate on France's attractiveness.

The Brexit of immigration in France

British nationals will be required to hold a residence permit as of January 1, 2022. Until that date, people who have not received their residence permit will be able to continue to reside legally in France and benefit from the rights attached to their status (residence, work, social rights) as long as they are able to present proof of presence in 2020, accompanied by the certificate of registration filing their application for a residence permit under the withdrawal agreement.