Speaking on CNews/Europe 1 on 22 October 2025, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez publicly acknowledged that France hosts “about 700,000” undocumented foreigners—more than double the lower figure he had floated earlier in the week. Nuñez said the estimate is based on data sets such as State Medical Aid registrations and historical police statistics, and is in line with an assessment made by his predecessor Gérald Darmanin in 2021.
The clarification comes as the far-right National Rally (RN) intensifies pressure on the government ahead of the National Assembly’s November debate on the new Immigration Control Bill. RN president Jordan Bardella accused the minister of “deliberate vagueness” and demanded a precise head-count before parliament votes on tougher removal powers and a controversial quotas system. By releasing a headline number, Nuñez hopes to pre-empt the criticism that authorities are under-counting overstayers and fuelling public distrust.
For employers running compliance programmes and global mobility teams managing posted workers, the statement signals that enforcement is likely to tighten. The draft law will make companies jointly liable for undocumented labour in sub-contracting chains and introduce on-the-spot fines during labour-inspectorate raids. Industries with large seasonal or platform workforces—construction, agriculture, logistics, hospitality—are expected to face more audits in 2026.
Business immigration advisers say the announcement also strengthens the political case for moving France’s residence-permits system fully online. A digital overhaul would allow prefectures to cross-match biometric data, social-security records and tax filings, potentially flushing out unregularised residents more quickly. Employers are urged to audit internal documents (cerfas, A1 certificates, posted-worker notifications) and prepare contingency budgets for regularisation or, where necessary, repatriation costs.
The clarification comes as the far-right National Rally (RN) intensifies pressure on the government ahead of the National Assembly’s November debate on the new Immigration Control Bill. RN president Jordan Bardella accused the minister of “deliberate vagueness” and demanded a precise head-count before parliament votes on tougher removal powers and a controversial quotas system. By releasing a headline number, Nuñez hopes to pre-empt the criticism that authorities are under-counting overstayers and fuelling public distrust.
For employers running compliance programmes and global mobility teams managing posted workers, the statement signals that enforcement is likely to tighten. The draft law will make companies jointly liable for undocumented labour in sub-contracting chains and introduce on-the-spot fines during labour-inspectorate raids. Industries with large seasonal or platform workforces—construction, agriculture, logistics, hospitality—are expected to face more audits in 2026.
Business immigration advisers say the announcement also strengthens the political case for moving France’s residence-permits system fully online. A digital overhaul would allow prefectures to cross-match biometric data, social-security records and tax filings, potentially flushing out unregularised residents more quickly. Employers are urged to audit internal documents (cerfas, A1 certificates, posted-worker notifications) and prepare contingency budgets for regularisation or, where necessary, repatriation costs.
