Mariages « mixtes » et immigration en France

Abstract

Family reunification has become a major component of third-countries immigration in France as in other European countries. Today, the flow of foreigners married to a French is the most important family migration flow. But who are these French spouses? The answer cannot be given by usual data on migration flows. Fortunately, in 2006, a survey (DREES 2006) has brought data on the ‘French spouses’ profiles for the first time. Most of them happen to have a foreign background, usually related to the country of the foreign migrant. More than 50% of these French of foreign origin are in fact born in France. These migrations related to endogamic practises are strongly rooted in the Algerian family migration, which belongs to the oldest Maghrebian flow. The country of marriage is more influenced by the country of birth of the parents’ French spouse than by the country of birth of the latter. A marriage with a French spouse whom two parents are born in the immigrant’s country is most often celebrated in this country, even if the French spouse is born in France. Finally, a significant proportion of « mixed » marriages (by nationality), have they been celebrated in France or abroad, have fed the flows of migrants for a « French-spouse » motive. It is particularly true for French‑Maghrebian marriages. This calls into question the use of vital statistics on mixed marriages by nationality to describe the integration process.

Keywords

• country of birth
• country of marriage
• family reunification
• foreign background
• mixed marriage