France

In the French overseas territory of Mayotte, the already limited birthright citizenship for migrants’ children has been further restricted. As of 2006, all births must be registered in Mayotte. However, registration does not grant citizenship. Previously, children of foreigners born in Mayotte needed to have a parent who had legally resided in the territory for 3 months prior to their birth to be granted citizenship at age 13. The child also must prove that they had lived in the territory a sufficient length of time. Starting in 2025, a new law requires both parents to have legally resided in Mayotte for one year, or just one parent in the case of single parents. This leaves children at risk of statelessness. An estimated half of Mayotte’s population is made up of foreigners, with varying levels of legal status. This new law has come at a time of rising anti-immigrant sentiment in France. The right wing has been pushing to end birthright citizenship in France, with the colonial outpost of Mayotte being the first step towards this goal. The CRC (2023) has issued recommendations to France to reconsider the special regime for acquiring French nationality for children living in Mayotte, and to improve birth registration in overseas territories.