Cape Verdeans began arriving in France in 1964, from Rotterdam, Dakar, and Lisbon.
They took jobs in the coal mines, in the iron foundries, and as masons, and the women typically became domestics.
[2] As of 1995[update], it was estimated that there were 8,000 Cape Verdeans in France[3] and the 1999 census counted 21,000 descendants.
Additionally, tabulating is difficult because many Cape Verdeans arrived in France with passports from other host countries, like Portugal or the Netherlands.
Thus, taking all these factors into consideration, the embassy estimates that there are about 21,000 Cape Verdeans and their descendants currently residing in France.