AIDS and therapeutic immigration in France : myths and realities The inscription on the public agenda of migrants living with HIV/ AIDS was delayed in France mainly by the model of republican unity, the culturalist approach and the choice of the statistical categories. Its was after the arrival of the antiretroviral treatments, which set the issue into a favourable context, that this specific problem was treated by the rights to stay and to access health care to foreigners living with HIV/ AIDS. On the contrary of what was expected, these rights did not prevent the increase in the number of cases of AIDS among foreigners, particularly at those from sub-Saharan Africa. This situation led to political controversy over the existence of “ health tourism”. The fight against this risk then justified projects to restrict the rights of foreigners. However, thanks to medical and associative activists, the right to stay and to access health care resists the current reforms regarding immigration and the new paradigm of fighting against “ suffered immigration” (immigration subie)