La fabrique d’une immigration choisie. De la carte d’étudiant au statut de travailleur étranger. Lille-Bobigny, 2001-2004

The article examines the implementation of a selective immigration policy based on the concept of "chosen immigration" and the relationship between the legal conditions imposed on foreign nationals and their access to the labor market. In the context of successive immigration policy reforms, the value of an empirical investigation lies in focusing attention on the practical conditions under which such public policies are implemented. The empirical study, based on quantitative analyses of administrative records and interviews, examined the procedure for a "change of status," which allows international students to transition from student status to foreign worker status. It also assessed the effects of a 2002 circular intended to simplify and make this procedure more flexible. The article presents the study's main findings: the particularly discouraging nature of the procedure for both students and employers; the differential treatment depending on whether the job offer comes from a private-sector or public-sector employer; the limited impact of the 2002 circular; and the differences in practices among the departmental labor administrations responsible for the selection process. Finally, the finding that a temporary residence permit under the status of "temporary worker," which provides a more precarious legal position, is issued more frequently than a "salaried employee" residence permit raises the crucial question of the legal status of migrant workers and the relationship of dependence on employers created by this status.