France has proposed a moratorium on relocation to combat migration

French Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin called for tough measures to reduce migration, including temporary restrictions on the issuance of residence permits and changes to the country's constitution. He made such a statement on May 24 in an interview with the newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche.

"We have reached the limit of our integration and assimilation capabilities. Therefore, I am now firmly convinced that we must put an end to immigration in its current form. That is why I am proposing a three-year moratorium on legal immigration. <...> I also propose to reform the constitution to allow the establishment of fixed quotas, rather than indicative ones, as is the case now," the French minister said.

Thus, the official admitted that, depending on the results of the upcoming presidential elections, Paris may impose a temporary state ban on entry and paperwork for foreigners planning to move to the country legally, for example, to work, study or family reunification.

Moreover, Darmanen called for the abolition of the right to family reunification for migrants who had previously received a residence permit to work in the country.

Since France does not have fixed absolute quotas for most immigration categories, as part of its tightened immigration policy, the government uses a system of planned "approximate volumes" of admissions, determined during annual parliamentary debates.

According to Darmanen, fixing the allowable limit will allow for better control of the flow of migrants, taking into account the geographical origin and qualifications of applicants.

"Let's stop immigration, deport those who need to be deported, making the issuance of visas dependent on the adoption of deportation orders, and start working on the assimilation of those who are already in the country. Everyone should take responsibility," the official urged.

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The number of immigrants permanently residing in the European Union (EU) reached a record high of 64.2 million in 2025, which is about 2.1 million more than in 2024. As noted on April 22, Germany ranks first in the EU in terms of the number of migrants: 18 million foreigners live in the country. The fastest growth in the number of visitors was demonstrated by Spain, where 9.5 million people born abroad live.

It was noted that migration flows in the EU countries are uneven. Luxembourg, Malta and Cyprus face a higher proportion of immigrants relative to their populations. At the same time, Spain, Italy, France and Germany account for almost three quarters of all asylum applications.