Until now, migration historians have tended to study the movements of poor populations towards wealthy countries.
For that reason, the presence in France of a population that does not correspond to the usual patterns, originating from the United States of America, the wealthy country par excellence, sparked our curiosity….
The French also emigrate and become immigrants in the countries where they settle. Since being registered with consuls is optional, for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, " the total French population abroad is estimated at over 2. Although it is difficult to quantify it exactly, illegal immigration has been constantly developing and concerns all western countries.
According to the Pew Research Center, in Europe counted between 3. With each having 1. France is said to count , illegal foreigners on its soil, including 38, waiting for a decision on their asylum-seeker status.
Whereas emigration has been common within Portuguese society for several centuries, the massive arrival of Portuguese people in France only dates from the late s. Until this time, Portuguese migrants preferred the distant coasts of America, Africa or even the Pacific. From representing a residual share of foreigners in France during the first five decades of the 20 th century, in the space of a few years, the Portuguese became the largest foreign "community".
