France OQTF deportation orders 2026 Eurostat data, Digi Mart USA News: France issued the largest number of obligations to leave French territory (OQTF) of any European Union country in the first half of 2026. According to Eurostat data covering the first two quarters of the year, 67,300 non-EU nationals were subject to a decision ordering them to leave France between January and June.
That figure places France well ahead of its European partners, including Italy, which is led by Giorgia Meloni and has adopted an assertive political stance on immigration. Italy recorded 9,575 return decisions over the same period, a gap of more than 57,700 decisions.
The comparison challenges common perceptions of European migration policy, showing that political statements, legislative measures and administrative statistics do not always tell the same story.
Algerian nationals were the most frequent targets of French decisions, with 13,745 OQTFs in the first half of 2026, representing about one-fifth of the total. Tunisians ranked second with 5,480 decisions, followed by Moroccans with 4,825.
Together, nationals of these three Maghreb countries accounted for 24,050 decisions, more than a third of all OQTFs issued in France during the period. Bangladeshi (2,470), Turkish (2,340) and Ivorian (2,290) nationals followed.
The ranking in Italy differs markedly. Moroccans were first with 1,710 decisions, ahead of Tunisians (1,050) and Algerians (805).
Including Egyptians, North African nationals accounted for 4,140 decisions, or nearly 43% of Italy’s total. Italian decisions also fell by about 8% compared with the first half of 2025, from 10,365 to 9,575.
These figures require an important caveat: an OQTF does not mean a person has actually been deported. It is an administrative decision that can be challenged in court, and its enforcement depends on several factors, including consular cooperation from countries of origin, identification of the individuals concerned and practical return options.
In France, only a relatively small share of these decisions leads to an actual departure, with estimates placing the rate at around 11%.
The comparison with Italy must also be placed in a broader migration context. Italy has nearly 5.9 million foreign residents, of whom about 339,000 are reportedly in an irregular situation according to the latest ISMU Foundation report, published in 2026.
That figure is well below the roughly 506,000 people estimated in 2022.
Some European countries focus on more than removals. In 2025, Spain issued 635,438 first residence permits to non-EU nationals, the highest total in the European Union, ahead of Germany and Poland.
France issued 377,462 permits and ranked fifth.
Finally, the new European Pact on Migration and Asylum took effect on June 12, 2026, and the EU adopted a first common list of countries considered “safe,” including Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt. These developments reflect a broader tightening of the migration framework, making administrative expulsions easier to carry out.
