I’m responding to rustyfish and felykiosa. People from French colonies are French citizens and can therefore comparatively easily emigrate to mainland France.

Backfires as in every country can take a limited number of migrants and usually try to reserve most of their capacities for people who actually need them (people fleeing from oppression, war or other life-threatening situations) instead of taking many people who just come for the better economy (this way the economy in their homecountry won’t get better)