Paris Services & Moving Here Immigration Lawyers

The 8 Best Immigration Lawyers in Paris (2026)

Updated October 2026 · 8 picks

The best immigration lawyers in Paris in 2026 are Fragomen and Karl Waheed Avocats for employer-sponsored and corporate moves, Lexial for business immigration and talent permits, and LexCase for international mobility and naturalization. For individuals, Lexidy works in English, while Kohen Avocats and Luis Wolff Kono take on refused permits and appeals.

How we chose

Immigration decisions affect where you can live and work, so this list is held to a higher bar than a restaurant round-up. Every firm here is a Paris-area practice of registered lawyers (avocats) with its own website, a stated immigration or nationality practice, and evidence on its site that it works in English or with international clients. We mixed corporate-immigration specialists with practices that take on individuals. Nobody paid to be included and there are no affiliate links.

We do not rank lawyers by outcome or fee, and nothing here is legal advice. Rules change often; check the current requirements on service-public.fr and with your lawyer.

Check any lawyer in the Barreau de Paris directory or the CNB national directory, which also shows lawyers certified as specialists in immigration and nationality law. Be wary of unregulated 'immigration consultants' who are not avocats.

Most people moving to France from outside the EU need a long-stay visa from the French consulate at home, then a residence permit (titre de séjour) once they are here, applied for and renewed online through the government's ANEF platform. Many applications are straightforward to do yourself; a lawyer earns their fee on employer-sponsored moves, founder and investor permits, family situations, refusals and appeals.

1. Fragomen — La Défense (Courbevoie)

The world's best-known immigration firm, with a French team at La Défense.

Specialty Work permits, visas, residence permits, compliance audits, naturalizationBest for Employers moving staff to France, and their employees and families

Fragomen is a global immigration law firm that has operated since 1951, and its French team works from offices at La Défense, just west of Paris. It offers the full range of French immigration services: work authorizations, visas and residence permits, compliance and immigration audits, and naturalization.

Most of its work comes through employers, so it is the natural choice if your company is relocating you. Individuals and families are also served.

Good to know: If your employer already uses Fragomen in another country, ask HR to open the French case through the same account.

Colisée Gardens, 8 avenue de l'Arche, 92400 Courbevoie

Google Maps Website

2. Karl Waheed Avocats — Belleville / Ménilmontant (20th)

A Paris firm devoted to international mobility law, led by a Paris and New York lawyer.

Specialty Corporate immigration, talent permits, intra-company transfers, posted workers, social securityBest for Multinationals, SMEs, executives and managers moving to France

Karl Waheed Avocats specializes in international mobility law. Its main work is corporate immigration for multinational groups bringing staff to France, but it also advises SMEs, executives and managers directly. Its founder is admitted to the Paris and New York bars.

The firm handles work and residence authorizations, talent permits, intra-company transfers, posting within the EU and the social security side of a move, which often gets forgotten.

Good to know: Ask about social security coverage as well as the permit if you are being posted from another country.

34 rue Henri Chevreau, 75020 Paris

Google Maps Website

3. Lexial — Wagram (17th)

A business-immigration firm founded in 2007, with offices in Paris, Brussels and Geneva.

Specialty Business immigration, talent permits and long-stay visasBest for Companies, entrepreneurs, investors and skilled workers

Lexial was founded in 2007 and has built its reputation on European and international business immigration law, with offices in Paris, Brussels and Geneva. In France its practice centers on the talent residence permits and other long-stay visas for professionals.

The multi-country set-up helps if you are moving between France, Belgium and Switzerland, or your company operates in all three.

Good to know: If your move involves more than one of France, Belgium and Switzerland, ask for a single plan covering all of them.

30 rue Jouffroy d'Abbans, 75017 Paris

Google Maps Website

4. LexCase — Madeleine (8th)

A business law firm with dedicated immigration, international mobility and international desk teams.

Specialty Immigration, international mobility, naturalization, employmentBest for Companies hiring from abroad, founders and individuals seeking citizenship

LexCase is a French business law firm with offices in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Bordeaux. Alongside corporate and employment law it runs immigration and international mobility practices and an international desk.

One of its partners is listed on the Australian Embassy's list of lawyers for the French naturalization process. It suits a company that wants its immigration work handled by the same firm as its employment contracts.

Good to know: For naturalization, gather your residence history and civil-status documents first; they take the longest.

65 rue d'Anjou, 75008 Paris

Google Maps Website

5. Lexidy — Port-Royal (13th)

English-speaking immigration lawyers in Paris for visas, residency and citizenship.

Specialty Long-stay visas, talent permits, residence permits, citizenshipBest for English-speaking individuals, families and founders

Lexidy is an international law boutique built around English-speaking lawyers in several European countries, with a team based in Paris for French immigration. It helps with long-stay visas, talent permits, residence permits and citizenship.

It suits English speakers who want the whole process explained in English, from the first visa application to renewals.

Good to know: Ask which avocat will handle your file and check them in the Paris Bar directory.

21 bis boulevard de Port-Royal, 75013 Paris

Google Maps Website

6. Kohen Avocats — Wagram (17th)

A Paris practice that takes on refused talent permits and residence appeals for English speakers.

Specialty Talent permit refusals, residence permit appeals, urgent proceedingsBest for English-speaking individuals facing a refusal or removal order

Kohen Avocats is a Paris practice near Parc Monceau whose English-language site covers challenging refusals of talent permits and other residence permits, including urgent proceedings. It publishes detailed English guides on these cases, including for British nationals after Brexit.

It is a good first call if you have already been refused, rather than for a routine first application.

Good to know: Bring the refusal letter and its envelope to the first meeting; the appeal deadline runs from the date you received it.

11 rue Margueritte, 75017 Paris

Google Maps Website

7. Luis Wolff Kono — Passy (16th)

A French-American lawyer who handles permit refusals and French citizenship by descent.

Specialty Residence permit appeals, French citizenship by descent, litigationBest for English-, Portuguese- and French-speaking individuals

Luis Wolff Kono is a French-American attorney admitted in Paris, New York and New Jersey. His immigration work focuses on appeals against refused residence permits and on French citizenship by descent, which is often relevant to Americans with a French parent or grandparent.

He works in English, French and Portuguese, alongside a wider litigation and criminal practice.

Good to know: For citizenship by descent, start collecting your parent's or grandparent's French civil-status records early.

24 avenue Jules Janin, 75116 Paris

Google Maps Website

8. BHR Avocats — Saint-Lazare / Trinité (9th)

A Paris firm whose immigration practice works in English, Spanish and Mandarin.

Specialty Visas, residence permits, naturalization, criminal and family lawBest for Individuals and families, including in difficult or contentious cases

BHR Avocats is a Paris firm of partners whose practice spans criminal defense, business disputes, family law and immigration law, covering visas, residence permits and naturalization.

The firm works in English, Spanish and Mandarin. It is a good fit when an immigration problem overlaps with a family or criminal matter, where a pure corporate-immigration firm would not help.

Good to know: Mention at the first call if your case also involves a family or criminal matter, so the right partner takes it.

26 rue de Clichy, 75009 Paris

Google Maps Website

Frequently asked questions

What is the French talent residence permit (passeport talent)?

It is a multi-year residence permit, valid for up to four years, for skilled employees, company founders, investors, researchers, artists and other profiles, and it lets your spouse and children come with you. Each category has its own conditions, such as a minimum salary, a diploma or an investment amount. The 2024 immigration law reorganized and renamed these permits, so check the current category names and thresholds before you apply.

Do I need a lawyer to get a French visa or residence permit?

No. You can apply for most visas and permits yourself, at the consulate and then online on the ANEF platform. A lawyer is worth it when an employer or company structure is involved, when your case does not fit a standard category, when a renewal is late or refused, or when you receive an order to leave France (OQTF), where appeal deadlines can be very short.

How do retirees and non-working spouses move to France?

The usual route is the long-stay visitor visa (VLS-TS visiteur), which requires proof of sufficient regular resources, health insurance and accommodation, and a written commitment not to work in France. It is renewed as a one-year visitor residence card. If you later want to work or start a business, you will need to change status.

How do I become a French citizen?

Naturalization usually requires five years of legal residence in France (shorter in some cases, for example after studying at a French university), a recognized level of French, and integration into French society. Spouses of French citizens can apply by declaration after four years of marriage. Language requirements have been tightened by recent reforms, so check the current level required.

How much does an immigration lawyer cost in Paris?

Fees are agreed freely but must be set out in a written fee agreement. Many lawyers quote a flat fee for a standard application or renewal and charge more for appeals and court work. Corporate immigration firms usually bill the employer under a framework agreement.

1. Fragomen — La Défense (Courbevoie)

2. Karl Waheed Avocats — Belleville / Ménilmontant (20th)

3. Lexial — Wagram (17th)

4. LexCase — Madeleine (8th)

5. Lexidy — Port-Royal (13th)

6. Kohen Avocats — Wagram (17th)

7. Luis Wolff Kono — Passy (16th)

8. BHR Avocats — Saint-Lazare / Trinité (9th)

Frequently asked questions

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