The French Rassemblement National party (RN) has proposed a €1,000-a-year tax on private-sector employers for each non-EU employee ahead of the April 2027 presidential election.
The measure, which would include British, American, and Canadian citizens alongside those from countries countries whose nationals form large migrant communities in France, such as Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey, and Senegal, appears in the RN’s “alternative budget,” a five-year economic plan for 2027 to 2032. It builds on the party’s “national preference” policy, under which employers would have to hire a French citizen whenever an eligible one is available, with exceptions for certain specialist roles.
The RN estimates the tax would raise about €1 billion a year from roughly 1.3 million foreign nationals employed in France. RN Leader Marine Le Pen said foreign labor carries a cost to society and that workers should return home when their contracts end. Business group Les Entrepreneurs, which represents 320,000 companies, called the proposal “economic nonsense.”
The proposal is not law. It would require an RN victory, new legislation, and broader parts of the national preference program that would likely need constitutional changes. The first round of the presidential election is on April 18, 2027, with Le Pen, the RN’s declared candidate, leading the first-round polls.
IAM Member Impact: Nothing changes for now, since current French work-permit rules and existing fees on some foreign hires remain in place. However, international moving companies and RMCs planning multiyear assignments to France for non-EU employees may start factoring the election into their 2027 mobility plans, which could affect inbound volumes to France.
Source: The Connexion; France 24; Vote-Scope