In the small hours of 7 November 2025, MP Nicolas Ray (Les Républicains) tabled amendment n° 2615 to the draft 2026 Finance Bill. The text proposes that foreigners who are subject to an expulsion order for reasons of public order—or who have been banned from French territory following criminal convictions—should automatically lose eligibility for Aide Médicale de l’État (AME), the safety-net health-care scheme for undocumented migrants. Instead, they would be restricted to ‘soins urgents’ (emergency care only).
The move follows the Evin-Stefanini report, which in September called AME “porous” and recommended tighter eligibility checks. Supporters argue the measure would save €110 million annually and deter would-be offenders. Human-rights groups, however, warn that excluding people from primary care increases public-health risks and merely shifts costs to hospital emergency departments. Doctors of the World says 37 % of its Paris patients would be affected.
![Budget amendment seeks to bar certain foreign nationals from State Medical Aid]()
For global-mobility teams the proposal is a reminder that social-security coverage for non-EU assignees in irregular status can change suddenly. Companies using shadow-payroll arrangements or hosting interns on short-term Schengen visas should keep compliance advisers on alert until the Finance Bill clears both chambers—expected before 22 December.
At committee stage later this month, the Government is likely to issue an avis défavorable, arguing that existing mechanisms already allow AME withdrawal in extreme cases. Even so, the amendment signals growing political pressure to couple labour-market openings with tougher welfare restrictions.
The move follows the Evin-Stefanini report, which in September called AME “porous” and recommended tighter eligibility checks. Supporters argue the measure would save €110 million annually and deter would-be offenders. Human-rights groups, however, warn that excluding people from primary care increases public-health risks and merely shifts costs to hospital emergency departments. Doctors of the World says 37 % of its Paris patients would be affected.
For global-mobility teams the proposal is a reminder that social-security coverage for non-EU assignees in irregular status can change suddenly. Companies using shadow-payroll arrangements or hosting interns on short-term Schengen visas should keep compliance advisers on alert until the Finance Bill clears both chambers—expected before 22 December.
At committee stage later this month, the Government is likely to issue an avis défavorable, arguing that existing mechanisms already allow AME withdrawal in extreme cases. Even so, the amendment signals growing political pressure to couple labour-market openings with tougher welfare restrictions.
