Rebuilding Mayotte: immigration, security, governance... What does the text to be adopted this Thursday contain?

The government's text is not simply a bill; it also includes a programmatic component, which sets objectives for the executive. It lists the state's priorities for Mayotte and the public investments planned between 2025 and 2031, focused on water, education, health, infrastructure, and security.

Initially set at 3.2 billion euros , they were raised to reach almost 4 billion.

It also contains more general commitments, such as the end of school rotations for the start of the 2027 school year, while today, many students have to share their classroom with another group due to a lack of available places.

He is making good on the promise to build "essential infrastructure" such as hospitals and a new airport on the island of Grande-Terre.

Immigration, illegal housing and security

The text lists two priorities: the fight against immigration and illegal housing, "otherwise, we risk rebuilding Mayotte on sand," in the words of Overseas Minister Manuel Valls. It tightens the conditions for access to residence in the archipelago, where half the population is foreign, according to the INSEE.

Obtaining a residence permit for parents of French children will now have to be conditional on regular entry into the country.

It combats fraudulent recognitions of paternity by increasing the penalty for this offense. It also plans to centralize these recognitions in Mamoudzou, with the aim of identifying those responsible for multiple recognitions.

The security component provides for the possible withdrawal of residence permits from the parents of children considered to be a threat to public order. It also provides for the possibility of placing minors accompanying an adult subject to a removal order in a detention zone.

Several measures facilitate the destruction of shanty towns on the archipelago, for example the possibility of exemption from the obligation to offer rehousing or emergency accommodation.

The text provides for the abolition, by 2030, of territorial visas in Mayotte, which prevent holders of a Mahoran residence permit from coming to mainland France.

The abolition of this specific residence permit is eagerly awaited by residents who see it as an injustice and a lack of solidarity from mainland France in the face of the massive influx of illegal immigrants, particularly from the neighboring Comoros.

On the social side, the bill plans to bring the level of social benefits such as the RSA or the minimum wage (SMIC) into line between Mayotte and mainland France by 2031. A first step will make it possible to reach 87.5% of the minimum wage by 1 January 2026.

On the business side, a reduction in charges and the maintenance of the CICE until January 1, 2027 have been agreed, with the implementation of a specific charge exemption scheme for overseas businesses, from this date.

Furthermore, the text provides for the creation of a "global free zone" with reductions of up to 100%, extended to all companies and all sectors of activity, to stimulate the Mahoran economy.

On the other hand, the text was stripped of a measure that was particularly irritating for the Mahorais, an article simplifying land procedures and expropriations with a view to building essential infrastructure.

The comprehensive population census in Mayotte, starting in 2025, a much-anticipated measure on the island, is also enshrined in law. For years, local officials have argued that the population is underestimated, resulting in communities that are less well-resourced than they should be and overburdened public services.

Strengthened local governance

Mayotte will become a single "department-region." This institutional change, enacted in a parallel organic law, aims to give Mayotte elected officials more leverage, particularly to manage European funds and steer the development of their archipelago.