The National Institute Demographic Studies (INED), considers more precisely as an immigrant. «  one person born foreigner in a foreign country

a definition of an immigrant

People entering a country to settle down there.

The law on immigration aims at choosing the immigrants with regard to

- their job

- to the economic needs

- for reducing illegal immigration.

- France introduces a migratory balance two and a half times lower in the average of others European countries

. Origin of immigrants

about 14 million Frenchmen had a parent in 1999 or one grandparents immigrant, that is 23 % of the population.

The regions where the immigrants live

There is a preponderance in Southern and Eastern France (Alsace, PACA, Rhône-Alpes, Languedoc-Roussillon)

and the Paris region who collect 60% of immigrants in France.

Reasons

They stay in those regions according to the economic needs of a qualified workforce in industrial regions of France.

Accepted immigrants

Accepted immigrants are the persons possessing the qualifications :

- useful for the French economic development ( chosen immigration),

- the family, student foreigners,

- political refugees with the right of asylum

Since the end of the second world war, the question of the appeal to the foreign workforce arises for the French authorities in the sector of the building trade mainly.

People from Maghreb were the most important communities to come in the 70’s in France as they were from ancient colonies.

Workforce

In 2003, the first continent immigrants came from was Africa with 105 000 immigrants.

In 2004, in France there were about 5 millions of immigrants

Since 1950s, immigrants have arrived in France not only from countries of Europe but also from Maghreb and Black Africa. They mainly work in, industry, and buildings.

These workers are men and have no qualification.