Immigration is as old as the world and there is no shortage of terms or qualifiers to designate it. They are legion and evolving. In this article we will review some expressions or words that refer to immigration. Such words are often used but their meaning is unknown by many people.

Furtive immigration, illegal immigration, or sometimes irregular immigration. These expressions have the same meaning. According to the Sénat Junior news site, it “refers to the entry into a given territory of foreigners who do not possess a visa; or the continuation of a stay in a foreign territory after the expiry of the visa”.

Wikipedia  specifies that it is “the illegal, illicit, or furtive entry into a national territory of foreigners who have not completed the expected formalities. The encyclopaedia gives details on the illegality of the migration, which according to the encyclopaedia “is characterised by the fact that these foreign persons do not possess the documents or conditions required by law or treaties to authorise their entry, or by the continuation of their stay after expiry of the documents”.

According to the International Organisation for Migration IOM, this is the “movement of people in contravention of laws, regulations or international agreements that govern entry into or exit from the country of origin, transit or destination.”

Selective immigration  : it was announced by Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin on 8 June 2005 in his General Policy Statement and implemented by Nicolas Sarkozy as Minister of the Interior in May 2006 and continued in November 2007 with the law on immigration and integration, which was amended on 1 May 2021, explained Mustapha Harzoune,  journalist specialised in literatures from immigration, in a text published on the website  of the Museum of the Golden Gate.

According to journalist Mustapha Harzoune “selective’ immigration is opposed to “suffered” immigration or (…) to “disposable” immigration. The latter is made up of men and women who enter France for family reasons or as asylum seekers, those who are suspected of benefiting from the social system or who represent little or no economic and professional interest”.

To promote “selective immigration”, continues Mustapha Harzoune, “labour immigration, officially suspended since 1974, becomes possible for certain sectors of the economy. A list of occupations open to non-European foreigners was drawn up in 2008. Originally comprising 30 trades, it has been reduced to 14. To attract – or “select” – the elite of international immigration, France has offered since 2006, a “competence and talent” residence permit intended to attract qualified immigrants whose “talent is an asset for the development and influence of France. In 2016, it was replaced by the Talent Passport,” concludes the text.

Family reunification: According to Mustapha Harzoune who cited two sources including the Ministry of the Interior (Agdref – DSED) and French Office of Immigration and Integration (OFII), “family reunification is defined by the arrival of family members (spouse and minor children), at the request of the foreign national settled in France, legally for at least 18 months, as part of a job, the acquisition of refugee status, because of his/her French nationality or following the regularisation of his/her status”.

According to the official website of the French administration, Service-Public.fr, “a foreigner who has a residence permit in France can be joined by his spouse and children. This is called the family reunification procedure.”

For UNHCR, taking the example of someone who has a refugee status, family reunification “brings together family members who live in different countries. Family reunification of refugees is the case where a family has been separated and at least one family member has been recognised as a refugee or holder of complementary protection by the country in which he or she lives. This refugee can then ask his family to join him in this country.” UNHCR provides additional information on which countries have family reunification programmes but also how to apply for family reunification. 

Dialogue Migration focuses on the case of France, former coloniser in Africa, looking into some of its migration laws. 

The Besson law of June 2011. We often hear the Besson law but what exactly is it and what is the content?

It is a “law on immigration, integration and nationality”. (…). It hardens the conditions of remaining on the territory and obtaining French nationality,” the website indicates. The site specifies that this law “creates a Charter of rights and duties of the French citizen. This charter, which must be signed by applicants for naturalisation, sets out “the principles, values and symbols of the French Republic. It was approved by the Council of State at the end January 2012.”

The Hortefeux law of November 2007: It is a law on the control of immigration, integration and asylum, says the information. The Hortefeux law introduced an assessment of the level of knowledge of the French language, organised in the country of origin, for people applying for a visa to join their spouse or family in France. If this level is insufficient, the person must follow a training of two months maximum, validated by a certificate.