Immigration in France: what changed in 2025

Overview of reforms and impacts for employers and foreign talent

The year 2025 marked a significant turning point in French immigration policy. Balancing the objective of attracting skilled profiles with stricter integration and control requirements, residence and work regulations underwent major changes.

This overview outlines the key reforms adopted in 2025 and their concrete impacts for employers, HR teams and foreign talent.

A reinforced “selective immigration” policy

Reform of residence permits and work authorisations

In 2025, the government continued its “selective immigration” strategy, aiming to better address labour market needs while simplifying access to residence permits for skilled profiles.

Reform of the “Talent” status (Decree No. 2025-539 of 13 June 2025)

The decree of 13 June 2025 reformed the conditions for accessing “Talent” residence permits and work authorisations for non-European nationals.

In particular, it introduced a standardisation of statuses, now grouped under a single designation:
“Talent – Skilled Employee – employment activity.”

This new wording merges the former statuses “Talent – Skilled Employee / Innovative Company” and “Talent – Intra-company Transferee”, which now appear under a single mention on the residence permit.

While this simplification has administrative benefits, it also presents a significant limitation: it reduces the clarity of eligibility conditions specific to each pathway, particularly in the event of a change of employer, and makes it more difficult to identify the applicable procedure.

In order to secure applications, France Immigration recommends implementing a sworn statement signed by the employee, accompanied by a copy of the initial favourable decision, to be retained in the HR file.

New salary thresholds (Decree of 21 August 2025)

An implementing decree published on 21 August 2025 set new salary thresholds for “Talent” statuses.

The threshold is set at €39,582 gross per year for the “Talent – Skilled Employee – employment activity” status, and €59,373 gross per year for the “Talent – EU Blue Card” status.

These new amounts make certain applications more accessible, particularly for skilled employed talent, while widening the gap between the different “Talent” permit categories.

They may also weaken certain profiles, particularly talents who do not hold a degree obtained in France, whether for initial applications or renewals.

For employers, however, these changes may result in a broader pool of candidates eligible for the “Talent” status, provided that the residence permit and remuneration strategy is properly anticipated.

Revision of the shortage occupation list (21 May 2025)

On 21 May 2025, the list of occupations and geographical areas facing recruitment difficulties was revised, in accordance with Article L.414-13 of the CESEDA.

This revision expands and enhances the recognition of shortage occupations, particularly in the healthcare, agriculture and construction sectors.

It grants an exemption from the labour market test, thereby facilitating the recruitment of foreign workers to address labour shortages.

A gradual tightening of integration requirements

Alongside targeted openness to skilled talent, the French authorities have strengthened integration requirements, particularly for foreign nationals seeking to settle in France on a long-term basis.

In the run-up to 2026, the reception and integration pathway is being revised, with the introduction of an additional examination for access to multi-year residence permits, long-term resident cards and naturalisation.

The French language level required for naturalisation has been raised to B2. More broadly, future applications will be assessed against criteria of “enhanced assimilation”, including continuity of residence, compliance with tax and legal obligations, and social and professional integration.

In practical terms, candidates planning long-term settlement have a strong interest in anticipating these new requirements, failing which they may face additional requests for information or even case closure, in a context where processing times can reach approximately three years.

For employers and HR teams, this implies closer support for foreign talent, particularly regarding compliance with language, employment and residence documentation.

Stricter control measures

Finally, 2025 was marked by a tightening of immigration control measures.

On 26 February 2025, the Interministerial Committee for Immigration Control met and announced several measures, including the generalisation of a “Border Force”, an audit of visa policy, and the review of certain bilateral agreements, notably with Algeria.

The government also initiated a revision of visa policies, introducing stricter language requirements, including for nationalities traditionally exempt, such as Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria.

The stated objective is to better manage migration flows by strengthening administrative controls for long-term settlement projects in France.

In summary

The year 2025 confirms a dual-track French immigration policy.

On the one hand, France seeks to enhance its attractiveness for skilled foreign talent, particularly in shortage sectors. On the other, it is tightening integration and control requirements for long-term settlement projects.

In this context, anticipation, case security and tailored support become key challenges for both employers and candidates.