Number of Americans Moving to France Up by 5%

Americans are the fifth nationality that was granted the most residence permits by France in 2024, indicating that more Americans have moved to EU countries in recent years.

According to the data published by the French Interior Ministry, the number of first residency cards issued to Americans was up by five per cent in 2024, totalling 13,000, Schengen.News reports. 

In addition to Americans, the largest number of residence permits in 2024 were granted to Moroccan nationals, followed by Algerians, Tunisians and Chinese nationals. 

Fewer Brits Relocating to France in 2024 
While Americans have increasingly relocated to France in the last year, the number of Brits seeking residence permits has dropped by ten per cent from the previous year. 

About 8,400 first-time residency cards were granted to Brits in 2024, down from 9,339 issued in 2023 and 24 per cent fewer cards than 11,174 issued in 2022. 

Brexit has greatly impacted the interest of Britons in obtaining residence permits in France, as the data reveals that the number of permits granted to them dropped from 99,954 in 2021 to merely 11,000 in 2022. 

The year 2024 would be the third year in a row that the number of Britons receiving new residency permits is decreasing, even failing to make it onto the top ten list of nationals that obtained most French permits for the year.

Number of Renewals Up While Most Permits Granted in 2024 Were for Family Reunification 
As the data reveals, the number of renewals for residency permits in 2024 rose considerably, with 879,790 renewals being recorded. 

Over 325,000 of these, or 37 per cent, were renewals of cards issued for family reunification. The number of renewals for family reunification permit renewals has dropped by 2.5 per cent in 2024. On the other hand, the number of renewals for employment purposes was up by 10.5 per cent, as Connexion France explains. 

Less than 5,000 renewals were granted to Britons in 2024, which is quite a low number compared to the pre-Bexit period, however, in comparison with 2023, this number is up by 47 per cent – from 3,400 to 5,000. 

In general, the long-stay visas were down by 2.8 per cent compared to 2023, but visitor visas witnessed an increase – going up from 33,558 to 33,700.

Source: https://schengen.news/number-of-americans-moving-to-france-up-by-5/