On 26 October 2025, Socialist deputy Fatiha Keloua-Hachi tabled a bill in the National Assembly that would make the renewal of France’s four-year titre de séjour pluriannuel and ten-year carte de résident largely automatic. Today, holders must present themselves at prefectures with extensive paperwork months before the card expires—a process made longer by chronic appointment shortages. The proposal would allow eligible foreign residents to file a simplified online form and receive a new card by post unless the Interior Ministry raises a security or public-order objection.
Keloua-Hachi argues that the change is an act of “administrative confidence” toward the 1.8 million long-term residents who live, work and pay taxes in France. Business groups such as MEDEF and the American Chamber of Commerce in France welcomed the move, saying it would reduce compliance costs for multinationals that rotate non-EU staff through French subsidiaries.
Prefectural unions warn that eliminating in-person checks could weaken fraud detection, but the bill retains authority for prefects to summon applicants in suspected abuse cases. Immigration lawyers note that the draft applies only to multi-year and ten-year cards, not to one-year salarié or ICT permits often held by new assignees; those renewals would remain unchanged.
If passed, the law would take effect on 1 July 2026 and require the Interior Ministry to publish a decree detailing the digital workflow. Companies are advised to audit employee card-expiry dates now: once the system is live, failing to trigger the simplified renewal within 90 days of expiry could still lead to loss of status.
Analysts see the measure as part of a broader shift in France’s immigration debate—tight on irregular migration but more facilitative toward skilled, integrated workers. For global mobility managers, the bill promises both fewer prefecture visits and greater planning certainty in long-term staffing strategies.
Keloua-Hachi argues that the change is an act of “administrative confidence” toward the 1.8 million long-term residents who live, work and pay taxes in France. Business groups such as MEDEF and the American Chamber of Commerce in France welcomed the move, saying it would reduce compliance costs for multinationals that rotate non-EU staff through French subsidiaries.
Prefectural unions warn that eliminating in-person checks could weaken fraud detection, but the bill retains authority for prefects to summon applicants in suspected abuse cases. Immigration lawyers note that the draft applies only to multi-year and ten-year cards, not to one-year salarié or ICT permits often held by new assignees; those renewals would remain unchanged.
If passed, the law would take effect on 1 July 2026 and require the Interior Ministry to publish a decree detailing the digital workflow. Companies are advised to audit employee card-expiry dates now: once the system is live, failing to trigger the simplified renewal within 90 days of expiry could still lead to loss of status.
Analysts see the measure as part of a broader shift in France’s immigration debate—tight on irregular migration but more facilitative toward skilled, integrated workers. For global mobility managers, the bill promises both fewer prefecture visits and greater planning certainty in long-term staffing strategies.
