Amnesty International has raised concerns over France’s short-term residency system, labeling it as a systemic infringement of migrant workers’ human rights. This system has been criticized for trapping workers in a cycle of discrimination that fuels labor exploitation, homelessness, and poverty. According to Amnesty International’s findings, migrants are ensnared in bureaucratic inefficiencies that leave them vulnerable while attempting to navigate complex administrative paths JURIST.
From April 2024 to September 2025, Amnesty documented the experiences of 27 workers from 16 nationalities, alongside insights from 39 experts, including sociologists and legal professionals. Erika Guevara Rosas from Amnesty described the conditions as simultaneously cruel and unacceptable, with thousands of primarily racialized migrant workers in sectors like construction, domestic work, and cleaning, living under constant threat of permit denials or non-renewals.
The issues are compounded by a maximum four-year residency limit, which in practice exposes workers to abuses such as wage theft, extended hours, and violence. Faulty systems plagued by administrative delays and technical issues have resulted in lost wages and social benefits, pushing many workers into poverty. The pandemic further worsened access to basic healthcare, revealing systemic vulnerabilities in the residency process.
Efforts to secure residency are complicated by restrictive policies. The 2024 French Immigration Bill has drawn particular criticism for delaying social benefits and tightening family reunification criteria. Workers lacking employer support in permit applications face heightened risk of exploitation as their legal status remains in limbo. Employers exploiting these conditions can use job termination threats as a heavy-handed control mechanism.
Amnesty International has urged reforms, including simplifying procedures and securing residency status through robust, singular work permits, to alleviate these issues. This call for reform underlines the critical need to address the rights and working conditions of migrant workers who contribute significantly to the French economy.