A poll by the CSA Institute for CNEWS, the JDD and Europe1, published this Thursday, May 28, indicates that 63% of French people are in favor of a suspension of legal immigration for three years.

Are we witnessing a migratory influx in France? According to a poll* by the CSA Institute for CNEWS, the JDD and Europe1 published this Thursday, May 28, 63% of French people are in favor of a suspension of legal immigration for three years.

While Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin proposes "a three-year moratorium on legal immigration", considering that the country has reached "the limit of its integration and assimilation capacities", a majority of the inhabitants of France nod in agreement with this.

Thus, in the details of this study, 64% of women consider themselves in favour of a suspension of legal immigration for three years, 3 points less than their male counterparts (61%).

However, responses vary according to age groups. While one might think that seniors would be more likely to make up the largest proportion of respondents in favor of the temporary suspension of legal immigration, having seen the proportion of immigrants in France increase year after year, it is ultimately young adults who occupy the top spot.

Indeed, among French people aged 18 to 24, 69% say they support this change in the migration framework, compared to 62% for those over 65.

At the socio-professional level, some differences emerge: 56% of those in higher socio-professional categories (CSP+) support a moratorium on legal arrivals in France, compared to 58% of those in lower socio-professional categories (CSP-). This figure jumps to 71% among the unemployed, for whom a temporary suspension of immigration is clearly a consensus.

Left and right at opposite ends of the spectrum

Regarding the political affinities of those surveyed, the responses are completely asymmetrical, reflecting the demands of the parties present on the political scene.

On the left, the rate of people hostile to a three-year moratorium on legal immigration reaches 64%, including 66% among supporters of La France insoumise.

On the right, this percentage is reversed, with 73% of respondents in favor of such a suspension. This figure jumps to 86% among supporters of the National Rally and Reconquête.

This bias also seems to appeal to the central bloc, which includes the current Minister of Justice, who has reintroduced the issue of curbing legal migrant entry into the country into the public debate. In a lengthy interview with the Journal du Dimanche on May 23, Gérald Darmanin proposed a "three-year moratorium on legal immigration."

The Minister of Justice has his sights set on family reunification, a target of the right wing for many years. As concrete measures, Édouard Philippe's supporters propose, in particular with regard to residence permits issued for work purposes, to prevent the arrival of family members of foreign nationals already residing in France.

1.6 million nationals originating from the Maghreb

“We have reached the limit of our integration and assimilation capacities. I therefore now have a very strong conviction: we must put an end to immigration as it is today,” Gérald Darmanin insisted in his interview with the JDD, with his main argument being “the lack, by some foreigners, of respect for the values of integration and assimilation.”

Consolidated immigration data for the previous year indicated that France would issue 4.5 million residence permits in 2025. This record figure, representing a 3.2% increase, saw one in three permits issued for family reunification. Currently, foreign nationals legally residing in France represent 8.1% of the adult population.

Nationals from Maghreb countries still make up by far the largest group of new residence permit holders. In 2025, nearly one in four new permits was granted to them. One in ten new permits was granted to a Moroccan national, bringing their number in France to 612,000, compared to 658,000 for Algerian nationals and 312,000 for people from Tunisia, for a total of 1.6 million people.

*Survey conducted on May 26 and 27 via online self-administered questionnaire on a nationally representative sample of 1,010 people aged 18 and over, using the quota method.