France updates rules regarding Residency Cards: Here's what will change

PARIS - The French government has introduced new rules for those applying for the French Residency Cards as the anti-immigration wave sweeps Europe. 

Under the updated rules which would be in effect from July 17th, individuals applying for a French residency card (carte de séjour) must commit to respecting "the principles of the Republic".

The new immigration regulations are part of the contentious immigration law promulgated in January 2024, which has sparked significant debate. The law's implementation has begun this week with the publication of several decrees.

The fresh decree released on Tuesday aims to streamline visa applications by enabling more online procedures, potentially alleviating difficulties experienced by many applicants.

The 2024 immigration law, which introduces stricter measures to France’s immigration system, has faced criticism from left-wing groups and human rights organizations. According to one of the new decrees, foreign nationals seeking any residency document (document de séjour) must pledge to uphold "the principles of the Republic."

As far as the details are concerned, these principles include personal freedom, freedom of expression and conscience, gender equality, human dignity, the motto and symbols of the Republic, territorial integrity, and secularism.

The decree stipulates that a residency permit may be denied or revoked if there is a clear violation of these principles. However, it does not specify whether the contract must be signed only when a card is first issued or also during renewals.

It is to be highlighted that while Brexit Withdrawal Agreement cards may be exempt due to their basis in an international treaty rather than solely French law, the decree does not provide details on any exemptions.

It is worth noting that some residency card applicants are already required to agree to these principles as part of the more complex Contrat d'intégration républicaine.

These new regulations come as the government aims to tighten France’s immigration system. As part of the reforms, other measures include more stringent requirements for obtaining multi-year residency cards, such as passing a basic French language test, expanding the categories of individuals subject to deportation orders, and extending the periods of house arrest for foreign nationals who have been ordered to leave but are unable to do so; presently, no decree has yet been passed implementing the new tougher language rules.

The measures coming into force on July 17th include a fine for the employment of foreign nationals who lack the right to work in France as well as an increase in the number of daily check-ins for people put under house arrest while awaiting removal from the country. 

Commenting on the changes, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin hailed the new measures and said they came in addition to the “very firm” measures already in place since January. 

“2,500 foreign offenders were deported in the first half of 2024, an increase of 28%,” he said in his post on X. 

Besides making the Residency Card requirements a little bit tough, another decree published in the Journal Officiel on Tuesday relates to allowing online applications for visas via the France-visas.gouv.fr website, and for systems for the digital collection of people’s data to be put in place. 

The existing practice is that the whole process is not online as the applicants first need to submit the details online and then take a hard copy and supporting documents to a consular office or partner company.

The latest decree also implies that applicant's data could be kept for up to five years, possibly enabling simplifications for those who apply for the same kinds of visa regularly.