On February 24th, 2025, the Minister of Interior, Bruno Retailleau, presented a new law tightening immigration procedures in France. Since then, many members of our community have been wondering how this could impact their plans to live in France.
“Are there new language requirements?”
“Will this impact my current visa application?”
“What visas do I qualify for now?”
Justyna Simmons, our Co-Founder and CEO, shares her thoughts on the new French Immigration law, and explains how it could affect aspiring expats.
Looking to leave your immigration needs to the experts? Schedule a meeting with us through the link below, or shoot us an email at contact@yourfriendinparis.com to learn how we can help you!
Video Transcript:
Let me quickly jump in and address this—over the weekend (February 24th, 2025), we received a lot of questions from people wondering how this new law will impact their visa applications in France.
First, I want to reassure you: this will not affect the majority of you. If you’re applying for a visitor visa, entrepreneur visa, talent passport, or salarié visa, this law does not apply to you.
This new circular mainly concerns people who entered France on a short-term tourist visa—or without a visa at all—and then decided to stay. Previously, there were different procedures they could follow to become legally recognized residents through work or personal situations. These were called exceptional procedures, and now, those procedures have become stricter.
This process was often used by people working as nannies or housekeepers for private employers. It is still possible, but the requirements have changed—meaning a longer period of residence in France and more months of documented work are now needed.
Again, if you’re applying for a visitor visa, entrepreneur visa, talent passport, or salarié visa, these changes do not significantly impact you. Some small things have shifted, but nothing major that would affect your application process.
If you still have questions, please comment below, and we’d be happy to answer them. Have a great day—bye!