French Immigration Crackdown: Retailleau’s Tough Policies Slash Visas and Boost Deportations

Bruno Retailleau has made the fight against immigration his main concern since his appointment in September 2024. His assessment of the first six months of 2025, revealed by the Journal du dimanche which says it holds a confidential note addressed this week to the French Minister of the Interior, takes stock of the visas and residence permits issued, as well as the naturalizations and the application of the OQTF.

According to this document, the number of long-stay visas issued by the Ministry of the Interior during the first half of 2025 fell by 2.6% compared to the same period in 2024. A drop that goes up to 5.2%, if we take into account the period from October to June, i.e. since Retailleau’s arrival at the head of this department. In terms of residence permits, exceptional admissions to residence (AES) have decreased by 34%, while the issuance of residence permits to first-time applicants has increased by 22% (+5% for family residence permits and +7.4% for student residence permits) during the period compared to 2024.

As for the removal of foreigners in an irregular situation, the figures speak for themselves. In the first half of 2025, there was a 15.9% increase in expulsions and a 22.6% increase in forced departures. The arrests of undocumented immigrants also recorded a 14.9% increase under Bruno Retailleau, the note reveals, showing an 8.4% decrease in access to naturalization compared to 2024 and a 17% decrease compared to October 2024-June 2025. A decrease which, the French media points out, is explained by the tightening of the procedure for granting French nationality, enacted in early May.