Latest Interior-Ministry figures confirm that the number of exceptional admissions to residence (admission exceptionnelle au séjour – AES) collapsed from 19,001 in the first nine months of 2024 to just 11,012 over the same period in 2025 – a 42 % drop. The plunge follows the ‘Retailleau circular’, a directive issued in January 2025 by then-Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau that replaced the more permissive 2012 Valls guidelines.
Under the new rules, undocumented foreign nationals must prove at least seven years’ continuous residence, provide certified evidence of French-language proficiency and show a clean criminal record. Prefects were also instructed to issue an automatic obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) when an AES request is refused. In practice, lawyers and NGO advisers say the seven-year rule has eliminated many potential applicants, while overstretched prefectures have turned routine appointments into months-long ordeals.
For both individuals now grappling with stricter criteria and employers seeking compliant alternatives, expert assistance can help streamline the process. VisaHQ, an online visa and immigration service, offers tailored support for French residence and work-permit applications—guiding users through document preparation, language-test scheduling, and prefecture appointments, while providing corporate account management for HR teams. Find out more at https://www.visahq.com/france/.
![France’s New Tough Line on Regularisations Slashes Residence-Permit Approvals by 42 %]()
Although parliament created a separate fast-track work permit for shortages in ‘in-demand’ sectors in late 2024, only 702 permits had been granted by October 2025, largely because prefects are free to decide which sectors qualify locally. Cleaning, a sector that employs large numbers of irregular migrants in Paris and Lyon, was pointedly excluded.
For employers, the sharp fall in regularisations increases compliance risk: staff who lose their AES option move into undocumented status overnight, exposing companies to fines if they continue working. Immigration counsel now advise HR teams to plan for costlier and lengthier solutions such as the Talent Passport or EU Blue Card for workers they previously regularised on the job.
Advocacy groups warn the policy will push more migrants into the informal economy just as Paris prepares to showcase labour protections during the 2026 Olympic build-up. The Interior Ministry counters that the directive merely enforces existing law and “restores credibility to France’s migration policy”.
Under the new rules, undocumented foreign nationals must prove at least seven years’ continuous residence, provide certified evidence of French-language proficiency and show a clean criminal record. Prefects were also instructed to issue an automatic obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) when an AES request is refused. In practice, lawyers and NGO advisers say the seven-year rule has eliminated many potential applicants, while overstretched prefectures have turned routine appointments into months-long ordeals.
For both individuals now grappling with stricter criteria and employers seeking compliant alternatives, expert assistance can help streamline the process. VisaHQ, an online visa and immigration service, offers tailored support for French residence and work-permit applications—guiding users through document preparation, language-test scheduling, and prefecture appointments, while providing corporate account management for HR teams. Find out more at https://www.visahq.com/france/.
Although parliament created a separate fast-track work permit for shortages in ‘in-demand’ sectors in late 2024, only 702 permits had been granted by October 2025, largely because prefects are free to decide which sectors qualify locally. Cleaning, a sector that employs large numbers of irregular migrants in Paris and Lyon, was pointedly excluded.
For employers, the sharp fall in regularisations increases compliance risk: staff who lose their AES option move into undocumented status overnight, exposing companies to fines if they continue working. Immigration counsel now advise HR teams to plan for costlier and lengthier solutions such as the Talent Passport or EU Blue Card for workers they previously regularised on the job.
Advocacy groups warn the policy will push more migrants into the informal economy just as Paris prepares to showcase labour protections during the 2026 Olympic build-up. The Interior Ministry counters that the directive merely enforces existing law and “restores credibility to France’s migration policy”.
