Ministère de l'intérieur

Direction Générale des Etrangers en France / Département des statistiques, des études et de la documentation

Place Beauvau
75800 Paris Cedex 08

1. Introduction

This metadata information is provided by France's authorities to ensure compliance with the requirements of Articles 5 and 7 of Regulation 862/2007 on Community Statistics on Migration and International Protection.

As required by Article 9 of the Regulation 862/2007, Member States must report to Eurostat on the data sources used, the reasons for the selection of these sources and the effects of the selected data on the quality of the statistics. Member States shall provide it with all the information necessary to evaluate the quality, comparability and completeness of the statistical information.

The reference terms for the assessment of quality compliance are provided by Eurostat in the EIL technical guidelines applied for 2014 reference period (See section 3.4 Statistical concepts and definitions from the EIL ESMS file).

2. General description of the statistical domain at national level

EIL National System (level of development, main changes that affected the system in the last years and further development)

The entire database compiling the exhaustive data collection results about the removals from the prefecture was revised. The quality has improved with improved coherency control tools.

Same thing is true for the obligations to leave.

The data on refusals have no changes.

The data on apprehension have an enlarged perimeter, now including all services of public force, when the prior data were only based on the DCPAF (border police) unit.

Legal national framework relevant for EIL statistics

The legal basis regarding the foreigners is to be found in the CESEDA - Code de l'entrée et du Séjour des Etrangers et des Demandeurs d'Asile (code for entry and stay of foreigners and asylum seekers)

Institutional infrastructure (list of the institutions involved in managing the EIL registers and the institutions involved in the production of the EIL statistics)

Préfectures

DCPAF - Direction Central de la Police aux Frontières (border police)

DGEF - Direction Générale des Etrangers en France (Ministry of interior)

General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens refused entry at the external borders

Refusals of entry are recorded in PAFISA (DCAPF IT tool implemented by all services of public force)

General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present

The illegally presents are recorded in PAFISA (DCAPF IT tool implemented by all services of public force)

General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens ordered to leave

These data are collected through a monthly data collection sent to the prefectures by the statistical service of the DGEF

General procedure for recording Non-EU citizens returned following an order to leave

These data are collected through a monthly data collection sent to the prefectures by the DCPAF under monitoring of the statistical service of the DGEF

3. Main problems that affect the quality of the data and what tables are concerned including the compliance status with the definitions from EIL Technical Guideline

(See metadata information including concepts and definitions from the EIL ESMS file)

There is only one noticeable problem : unit count is the administrative act and not the individual, i.e. on person could be counted twice.

1. Description of the Quality management system at national level

Quality management of migration statistics is a part of quality management of the French statistical system which is leaded by INSEE (the NSI). EIL statistics processing is documented by several description schemes and procedure forms.

• Good quality (extensive quality) - covers all quality requirements and substantial quality checks are performed and a very good cooperation exists between institutions.
• Sufficient quality (acceptable quality) - covers minimum requirements, but issues still exist and more information/validation is needed for a better quality assessment and acceptable cooperation issues exists.
• Poor quality (inadequate quality) - the data do not meet the minimum requirements or there is not enough information for quality assessment and important cooperation issues exists.

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1. General aspects

The statistics collected under the Regulation 862/2007 are widely used in official publications and by a wide range of users at national, European and International level.

Main users of EIL statistics at national level
The EIL statistics produced are regularly used by national administrations : academic researchers and civil society groups working on a wide range of topics including the integration of immigrants, the development and monitoring of national asylum and immigration procedures, and the projection of the future population and labour force.

Parliament, government, researchers, NGOs

Main users of EIL statistics at European and International level
The main users of EIL statistics are Eurostat, DG Home Affairs and EASO . The statistics are used in several publications of the Commission, as well as in the preparation of regular reports, policy proposals and analysis. The statistics also provide an input to the EMN studies and reports that address specific issues of current policy importance.

2. EIL data publication at national level

Presentation of the EIL statistics published at national level

yearly publication in January (see e.g. :  http://www.immigration.interieur.gouv.fr/Info-ressources/Statistiques/Tableaux-statistiques)

Report to the parliament (see e.g. : http://www.immigration.interieur.gouv.fr/Info-ressources/Documentation/Rapports-publics/Les-rapports-au-Parlement-article-L.-111-10-du-code-de-l-entree-et-du-sejour-des-etrangers-et-du-droit-d-asile-CESEDA)

Differences between the data provided to Eurostat and the data published at national level (Comparability of figures)

First of all, data about EU-citizens are disseminated at national level. Dublin outgoing transfers are included in national EIL statistics as well as spontaneous departures since July 2014 (The individual is leaving by himself the territory but is recorded as having stayed or entered illegally the national territory. The individual is recorded to unable his reentry of the national territory)

Not available.

Completeness of the data provided based on Articles 5 and 7 Regulation 862/2007 (mandatory data provision) and justification of the missing mandatory breakdowns and completeness of the data provided on voluntary basis.

Not applicable

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Underestimation possibly with [5%] impact in the total 

Procedures and classifications used in case of missing information (e.g. unknown citizenship, age, etc)

not applicable in so far as there is no survey sampling in EIL statistics

Not applicable

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

 *target population refers to the population that should be included (as it is specified in technical guidelines)

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Details related to the data revision policy and expected revisions of the data sent to Eurostat

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

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Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Problems with data provision to Eurostat in due time and the impact of these problems on the data quality provided to Eurostat

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

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New release is disseminated via the web.

(see e.g. :  http://www.immigration.interieur.gouv.fr/Info-ressources/Statistiques/Tableaux-statistiques

text and Excel files

Presentation of the National online national database for EIL data accessible to the public and the accessibility procedure

Not really a database, but several Excel Files on various topics on the web

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

available on request

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Presentation of the available quality management - documentation

available on request

Not applicable.

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1. Provision of data using the Eurostat EIL Technical Guidelines and exceptions applied

Data are provided using the guidelines, except for the unit count which is the administrative act and not the individual.

2. Details on categories of Non-EU citizens difficult to be classified using the reference definitions from EIL technical guidelines and the categories excluded from these reasons (excluded from the statistics reported)

Not applicable.

3. Description of records related to "Unknown" country of citizenship category

individuals whose nationality could not be determined

4. Description of records related to "Unknown" age category

Not applicable.

5. Description of records related to "Unknown" sex category

Not applicable.

6. Establishing the reported ground in case of “multiple grounds” for the same refusal and the impact on double counting of the person in the same dataset

It is applied the methodological procedure of "one ground per refused person", as laid down in EIL Technical Guidelines (procedure of "higher” ground overrules the “lower” ground for refusal).

There is no impact on double counting.

7. Type of "external border" applicable

Land boarder, Sea border and Air border

8. The definition of “refused Non-EU citizens” applied

The Schengen Borders Code's refusal definition is applies for the Statistics reported to Eurostat

9. The correspondence between the national system of “grounds for refusal" classification and Schengen Borders Code classification.

Not applicable.

10. The definition of “Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present” applied

Not applicable.

11. The definition of “Non-EU citizens ordered to leave” applied

Not applicable.

12. The definition of “Non-EU citizens returned following an order to leave” applied

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Methodological changes between the present reference year and previous year(s)

Not applicable.

Justification of the important changes in figures reported for the present reference year and previous year(s)

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

Links between the EIL statistics and Asylum statistics and details related to the asylum applicant(s) case(s) included in EIL statistics. 

Not available.

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1. Links between the statistics on refused Non-EU citizens and the statistics on Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present.

Not available.

2. Links between the statistics on Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present and the statistics on Non-EU citizens with obligation to leave.

check of the total

3. Links between the statistics on Non-EU citizens found to be illegally present and the statistics on Non-EU citizens with obligation to leave.

Not available.

4. Coherence between the EIL statistics and Asylum statistics

Not available.

5. Dublin cases included in EIL statistics and the impact on the totals provided 

dublin cases are excluded

6. Inclusion of voluntary returned Non-EU citizens in the statistics on Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory 

Not available.

Not applicable.

Not applicable.

1. Links and differences between the Non-EU citizens with obligation to leave and Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory

Not available.

2. Links and differences between the Non-EU citizens who actually left the territory and Non-EU citizens who left the territory to a third country

Not available.

Not applicable.

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Not applicable.

Not applicable.

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National systematic process of gathering data for official statistics.

Not available.

Description of the data validation system at national level

Not available.

Estimations used: Details on the estimations done for EIL statistics (methodology applied and the concerned categories and tables)

Not applicable

Not applicable.

The following classification is used for data availability at Eurostat level:

The term "not applicable" relates to the categories of permits which do not exist in national legislation/administrative procedures and therefore such statistics cannot be issued.

The term "not available" relates to categories of data that exist in the national legal/administrative system but cannot be delivered under EIL data collection for various reasons (e.g. data cannot exist, data exist but are not collected, data are unreliable, etc.).