As the end of 2025 approached, so did the end of my residence permit in France. Between July and September 2025, France issued 33,760 OQTFs, followed by Germany (12,510) and Greece (10,175). At the same time, in absolute terms, Germany hosts twice the number of non-EU citizens (12 million) compared to France (6 million). In France, a significant number of OQTF are issued to people originating from former French colonies; more than one-third are issued to migrants from Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco. That is also the case of 22-year-old Malik, who sought refuge in France about 10 years ago after fleeing the civil war in Cameroon.

Source: The North Africa Journal February 24, 2026 20:34 UTC