France granted 14,602 permits to Chinese applicants in 2023 – only 5.8 percent behind pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, the Chinese were the fourth-largest beneficiaries of permits granted by France, falling behind Moroccans, Algerians and Tunisians.
According to statistics by the French Interior Ministry, Chinese applicants for permits in France, are returning to pre-pandemic levels, obtaining 28.2 percent more permits compared to the previous year, VisaGuide.World reports.
In 2022, Chinese nationals were listed sixth with 11,388 permits obtained. While in 2022, this nationality represented 5.4 percent of all permits issued, in 2022 the share dropped to 4.4 percent. The reason for this increase is related to the overall number of permits granted by French authorities, which increased by 2.5 percent.
Moroccans, Algerians & Tunisians – Main Beneficiaries of French Permits Since 2019
The data from the French Interior Ministry reveals these three nationalities were granted most permits by France in 2019, as well as 2022 and 2023.
Nationals from Maghreb countries are still the most numerous among new holders of a residence permit, the number being relatively stable compared to 2022. in 2023, almost three out of ten new permits will be granted to them… In 2023 an increase in the number of Chinese nationals (nearly +30 percent) as well as Senegalese and Turkish nationals around + 15 percent, is noticed.
In 2023, Moroccans were granted 36,648 permits – the highest number of permits issued for the year. Algerians followed second with 31,943 and Tunisians ranked third with most permits obtained (22,639).
Compared to 2022, the share of permits granted to each of these three nationalities has increased, except for Moroccans who were issued 6.6 percent fewer permits. Algerians and Tunisians were granted 9.1 and 3.6 percent more permits, respectively.
33.1% of All Permits Granted by France in 2023 Were for Study Purposes
France issued 326,926 permits in 2023, the majority of which (33.1 percent or 108,375) were granted for study purposes. That is up by 6.1 percent compared to the number of such permits granted in 2022 (102,134).
The second type of permits most issued in 2023 were those for family reunification – as 91,078 of those were granted. Compared to 2022, 5.1 percent fewer family permits were issued.
Furthermore, permits for employment purposes represented 16.7 percent (54,572) of all permits granted. These types of permits grew in popularity, as France issued 4.9 percent more of those in 2023.