Reference metadata describe statistical concepts and methodologies used for the collection and generation of data. They provide information on data quality and, since they are strongly content-oriented, assist users in interpreting the data. Reference metadata, unlike structural metadata, can be decoupled from the data.
Direction Générale des Etrangers en France / Département des statistiques, des études et de la documentation
1.3. Contact name
Confidential because of GDPR
1.4. Contact person function
Confidential because of GDPR
1.5. Contact mail address
18 rue des Pyrénées - 75020 PARIS
1.6. Contact email address
Confidential because of GDPR
1.7. Contact phone number
Confidential because of GDPR
1.8. Contact fax number
Confidential because of GDPR
2.1. Metadata last certified
14 February 2025
2.2. Metadata last posted
14 February 2025
2.3. Metadata last update
3 August 2026
3.1. Data description
Data collection on EU Blue Cards statistics based on the EU Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment. EU Blue Cards statistics were produced under Directive 2009/50/EC. As of 19 November 2023, this Directive is replaced by Directive (EU) 2021/1883. The new legal requirements regarding supplementary statistics apply from the reference period 2024.
The following datasets were collected under the initial framework by 2023:
EU Blue Cards by type of decision, occupation and citizenship (migr_resbc1);
Admitted family members of EU Blue Cards holders by type of decision and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Cards holders and family members by Member State of previous residence (migr_resbc3).
Starting from the reference period 2024, EU Blue Cards statistics cover the following datasets:
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc11);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc12);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity duration, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc13);
Persons subject to decisions on residence permits for family reunification with EU Blue Card holders, by duration, age, sex and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Card holders admitted for long-term mobility by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and previous country of residence (migr_resbc31);
EU Blue Card holders’ family members admitted for long-term mobility by age, sex, citizenship, and previous country of residence (migr_resbc34);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc41);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc42);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc43);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiaries of international protection by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc5);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiary of free movement rights by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc6);
Long-term permits granted to former EU Blue Card holders by age, sex, and citizenship (migr_resbc7).
Directive 2009/50/EC was transposed at national level on 16 June 2011.
Directive (EU) 2021/1883 was transposed at national level on 17 November 2021.
3.2. Classification system
See table 3.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.3. Coverage - sector
Migration and asylum – Residence permits statistics, EU Blue Cards.
3.4. Statistical concepts and definitions
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.5. Statistical unit
Persons or numbers or authorisations.
3.6. Statistical population
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.7. Reference area
France.
3.8. Coverage - Time
See table 3.8. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
3.9. Base period
Not applicable.
Number of persons.
Calendar year.
6.1. Institutional Mandate - legal acts and other agreements
This metadata information is provided by France's authorities to ensure compliance with the requirements of Article 6 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 Residence permit statistics technical guidelines applied for the reference period.
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).
6.2. Institutional Mandate - data sharing
Prefectures.
7.1. Confidentiality - policy
Regulation (EC) No 223/2009 on European statistics (recital 24 and Article 20(4)) of 11 March 2009 (OJ L 87, p. 164), stipulates the need to establish common principles and guidelines ensuring the confidentiality of data used for the production of European statistics and the access to those confidential data with due account for technical developments and the requirements of users in a democratic society.
7.2. Confidentiality - data treatment
Not applicable.
8.1. Release calendar
Not applicable.
8.2. Release calendar access
Not applicable.
8.3. Release policy - user access
Not applicable.
Annual.
10.1. Dissemination format - News release
Not applicable.
10.2. Dissemination format - Publications
Not applicable.
10.3. Dissemination format - online database
Not applicable.
10.3.1. Data tables - consultations
Not applicable.
10.4. Dissemination format - microdata access
Not applicable.
10.5. Dissemination format - other
Not applicable.
10.5.1. Metadata - consultations
Not applicable.
10.6. Documentation on methodology
Not applicable.
10.6.1. Metadata completeness - rate
Not applicable.
10.7. Quality management - documentation
Not applicable.
11.1. Quality assurance
See point 18.
11.2. Quality management - assessment
Not applicable.
12.1. Relevance - User Needs
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. The Residence permits 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.
At European level, the main user of Residence permits statistics are Eurostat and DG Migration and Home Affairs. These 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 European Migration Network (EMN) studies and reports that address specific issues of current policy importance.
There is no significant difference the data provided to Eurostat and the data published at national level. User needs are the same.
12.2. Relevance - User Satisfaction
If available/applicable, provide information on user satisfaction at national level.
Not available.
12.3. Completeness
See table 12.3. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
12.3.1. Data completeness - rate
Not applicable.
13.1. Accuracy - overall
Socio-professional categories are poorly informed in AGDREF (application of management of the files of the foreign nationals in France). Some tables cannot be filled.
13.2. Sampling error
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 RESPER statistics.
13.2.1. Sampling error - indicators
Not applicable.
13.3. Non-sampling error
Not applicable.
13.3.1. Coverage error
Not applicable
13.3.1.1. Over-coverage - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.1.2. Common units - proportion
Not applicable.
13.3.2. Measurement error
Not applicable.
13.3.3. Non response error
Not applicable.
13.3.3.1. Unit non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.3.2. Item non-response - rate
Not applicable.
13.3.4. Processing error
Not applicable.
13.3.5. Model assumption error
Not applicable.
14.1. Timeliness
Not applicable.
14.1.1. Time lag - first result
Not applicable.
14.1.2. Time lag - final result
Not applicable.
14.2. Punctuality
See table 14.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
14.2.1. Punctuality - delivery and publication
Not applicable.
15.1. Comparability - geographical
Coherent.
15.1.1. Asymmetry for mirror flow statistics - coefficient
Not applicable.
15.2. Comparability - over time
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
15.2.1. Length of comparable time series
Not applicable.
15.3. Coherence - cross domain
Not applicable.
15.3.1. Coherence - sub annual and annual statistics
Not applicable.
15.3.2. Coherence - National Accounts
Not applicable.
15.4. Coherence - internal
Not applicable.
Not applicable.
17.1. Data revision - policy
There is no specific national revision policy.
17.2. Data revision - practice
See table 17.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
17.2.1. Data revision - average size
Not applicable.
18.1. Source data
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
AGDREF (IT tool of prefectures).
The data source is AGDREF (application of management of the files of the foreign nationals in France) corresponding to residence permits issued in the prefecture.
18.2. Frequency of data collection
Annual.
18.3. Data collection
Systematic process of gathering data for official statistics at national level.
The data source is AGDREF (application of management of the files of the foreign nationals in France) corresponding to residence permits issued in the prefecture.
We have all the data on the issuing of residence permits. The quality has improved with improved coherency control tools.
18.4. Data validation
Validation procedure
Checks of totals consistency.
Checks of magnitude of changes over time.
Using intervals of values for outliers/errors detection.
Using visual validation (visual verification of the tables or the graph resulted).
Checking the data integrity over each processing step.
Using special programs/software for data validation.
Checking if the double counting cases are excluded.
Checking the consistency between statistics by "reason" and statistics by "age" and "sex" categories.
Data collection on EU Blue Cards statistics based on the EU Directive on the conditions of entry and residence of third-country nationals for the purpose of highly qualified employment. EU Blue Cards statistics were produced under Directive 2009/50/EC. As of 19 November 2023, this Directive is replaced by Directive (EU) 2021/1883. The new legal requirements regarding supplementary statistics apply from the reference period 2024.
The following datasets were collected under the initial framework by 2023:
EU Blue Cards by type of decision, occupation and citizenship (migr_resbc1);
Admitted family members of EU Blue Cards holders by type of decision and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Cards holders and family members by Member State of previous residence (migr_resbc3).
Starting from the reference period 2024, EU Blue Cards statistics cover the following datasets:
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc11);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc12);
Persons subject to EU Blue Card decisions by length of validity duration, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc13);
Persons subject to decisions on residence permits for family reunification with EU Blue Card holders, by duration, age, sex and citizenship (migr_resbc2);
EU Blue Card holders admitted for long-term mobility by length of validity, age, sex, citizenship and previous country of residence (migr_resbc31);
EU Blue Card holders’ family members admitted for long-term mobility by age, sex, citizenship, and previous country of residence (migr_resbc34);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and occupation (migr_resbc41);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and size of employer (migr_resbc42);
Persons subject to a rejected application for EU Blue Cards by reason, age, sex, citizenship and economic sector of employer (migr_resbc43);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiaries of international protection by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc5);
EU Blue Cards granted to beneficiary of free movement rights by length of validity, age, sex and citizenship of the holder (migr_resbc6);
Long-term permits granted to former EU Blue Card holders by age, sex, and citizenship (migr_resbc7).
Directive 2009/50/EC was transposed at national level on 16 June 2011.
Directive (EU) 2021/1883 was transposed at national level on 17 November 2021.
3 August 2026
See table 3.4. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
Persons or numbers or authorisations.
See table 3.6. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
France.
Calendar year.
Socio-professional categories are poorly informed in AGDREF (application of management of the files of the foreign nationals in France). Some tables cannot be filled.
Number of persons.
Not applicable.
See table 18.1. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
AGDREF (IT tool of prefectures).
The data source is AGDREF (application of management of the files of the foreign nationals in France) corresponding to residence permits issued in the prefecture.
Annual.
Not applicable.
Coherent.
See table 15.2. in annex ‘Quality report tables EU Blue Cards’.
