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Amnesty International has criticised France’s residency card system for being ‘dysfunctional’ in a new report, and is urging improvements including longer-duration cards and improved access to in-person services. 

The report follows an 18-month investigation into residency card renewals for workers and students in France, with Amnesty uncovering several issues including late-arriving cards and high fees.

Elsewhere, workers on temporary residency cards (this refers to cards issued for one year, renewable) were regularly forced to deal with workplace abuses such as underpayment and harassment, which they are forced to accept due to the precarious nature of their residency situation.

It echoes claims made by immigration lawyers to The Connexion earlier this year.

The charity argues several state mechanisms make it harder for immigrants to stay legally in France, even as they make up a major employment base for services such as cleaning, childcare, and restaurant management. 

Difficulties arise for all types of residency card renewal, but particularly for one-year cards for non-EU immigrants.

In some cases, immigrants who had been in France for more than 20 years were still being impacted by the system and risked losing their livelihoods.

The charity argues that short-duration cards should be replaced by a single non-EU worker residency permit, applicable for a minimum of four years.

We note that retirees/early-retirees on ‘visitor’ cards can face similar issues.

Three state ‘mechanisms’ disrupt renewals

There are three main ‘mechanisms’ in France that make applying for residency cards more difficult, the charity says. 

The first of these is a restrictive and complex legal system. 

Prior to 2000, relatively few laws were passed surrounding immigration. 

Since then however, no fewer than seven major immigration laws (named after the Interior Minister to introduce them) have been passed. 

The latest, the 2024 'Darmanin Law', is yet to fully enter into force with full provisions including tougher language rules for some residency card applicants beginning in January 2026. 

Earlier this year, then-Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau issued a circular asking prefectures to be stricter in enforcing citizenship rules, as well as reminding them of the incoming law changes.

This adds rules that can change applications from one individual to another, and which are often masked in complex legal jargon making it difficult for applicants without access to legal advice to understand. 

“Almost systematically leading to more precarious residency status and restrictions on freedoms, these constantly amended texts result in a system that is as opaque as it is unstable, and is a source of inequality,” says the charity. 

The second mechanism is the increased usage of one-year residency permits for non-EU workers, even for employees who have been in France for several years. This is as opposed to ‘multi-year’ permits, typically issued for four years. 

“These permits must be renewed so frequently that those affected find themselves stuck in a never-ending cycle of administrative procedures,” says the charity.

“Sometimes, permits are issued with such a delay that they have already expired before they are even received.”

In many cases, costs to renew these residency cards are also prohibitive for workers, with each annual renewal costing €255 in timbres fiscaux. 

In 2017, the government collected €193 million from these payments.

For workers on these cards, failing to have their permit renewed in time – even if they fulfil all the requirements for submission and file the application in time – can see them lose their jobs, placing them under continual pressure.

Some cases highlighted by the charity saw the ��é��é�辱����é given to applicants while a card was being processed expire before their residency card was issued, despite several months of waiting.

The third and final mechanism is the increased digitisation of services and a lack of in-person aid available to applicants. 

The complete digitisation of residency rights through Anef has, rather than help foreigners with easier applications, made the process far more difficult. 

“Today, it is virtually impossible to enter a prefecture without an appointment,” says the charity.

“Obtaining an appointment has become an obstacle course: there are no more physical counters at the prefecture, services are unreachable, and appointment slots are fully booked.” 

“The administration's silence creates undocumented immigrants. Far from simplifying the process, the problems caused by digitalisation only increase the number of applications and consequently overwhelm the prefecture's services and lengthen processing times.”

The combination of these factors mean in certain low-paying jobs, more than half of all workers are in a precarious situation. 

For example, 61% of house cleaners in the Île-de-France region are ‘precarious’ foreign workers, alongside 60% of non-skilled construction workers and 50% of cooks and restaurant staff. 

Nationally, figures are lower but still 22% to 38% in the above sectors. 

Four-year cards, access to benefits, language rule changes

To remedy the situation, Amnesty International is proposing a single residency visa for non-EU workers that lasts for a minimum of four years. 

This catch-all card for workers would apply full rights from the first application.

The charity also argues that a sub-section of residency cards such as those for ‘temporary worker’ or ‘salaried worker’ under a specific employer be removed in favour of the single overarching card. 

This would allow card holders to immediately enter the labour force, not tied to a specific employer. 

In cases where card holders lose their employment, they should remain able to access state benefits.

Amnesty also argues that the ‘Vie privée et familiale’ subsection of residency cards for spouses of French citizens last for a minimum of four years instead of two. 

Finally, the charity argues that incoming changes requiring a minimum level of ‘A2’ in French for a multi-year card should be overturned. 

For applications for other residency cards, an A2 oral level should be the maximum the state can ask for, and elements focusing on written tests should be removed from tests, Amnesty says.

This should come alongside improved access to help – particularly in-person assistance – across prefectures, and for the training provided during ‘integration contracts’ to include sections on worker rights available in France.

You can read Amnesty’s full report .