Socio-economic integration of new immigrants: the case of Mauritians in France A survey of the employment, family and housing conditions of the Mauritians in France, reveals the new characteristics of the recent waves of immigration. Their integration is considered to be a replication of the French colonial past in the former «Isle de France». It is characterised by their large scale introduction into the urban informal economy. In two activity sectors investigated, namely domestic services and clothing industry, it is shown how social relationships in the workplaces prevail over the economic aspects. This trait is fundamental to a paternalistic socio-economic system internalised by these immigrants. It is one of the factors, besides the emergence of an ethnic entrepreneurship that explains a continuous migration flow.