Author
There is no explicit policy of considering specific nationalities as manifestly well-founded. At most, some nationalities obtain higher rates of protection than the average rate e.g., Syria, or Afghanistan. In 2023, this recognition rate was 99.3% for Syrians, and 63.3% for Afghans in first instance.
Ukraine
For developments regarding access to asylum and caselaw regarding international protection for Ukrainian nationals, please see the Temporary Protection annex to this report.
Afghanistan
For information about treatment of Afghan cases in previous years, especially in the wake of the Taliban takeover in 2021, see previous versions of this report. As of 2024, the asylum procedure and examination of requests for Afghans did not differ from other nationalities.
Syria
On December 10, 2024, OFPRA announced the suspension of the examination of asylum applications from Syrians due to the evolution of the geopolitical situation in the country,[1] and has not communicated on the follow-up given to this situation at the time of writing this report (April 2025). In the months that followed, however, the Office continued to grant protection to Syrians whose grounds for protection were not directly related to the country’s political situation.
Gaza
The CNDA recognised UNRWA’s inability to provide protection or assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip due to the “war situation” since 7 October 2023, neutralising the exclusion clause of Article 1D Geneva Convention / article 12(1)(a) of the Qualification Directive. This led the CNDA to rule in 2024 that applicants from the Gaza strip thus qualify for refugee status.[2]
Relocations
Furthermore, differential treatment of specific nationalities seems to be applied in the framework of ad hoc relocation schemes implemented since June 2018. Following “boat-by-boat” agreements following disembarkations in Italy, Malta and Spain, over 280 persons were relocated to France in 2018.[3] In October 2019, a member of the government stated that more than 600 people had been admitted in France through relocation within a year. At the end of 2019, 366 asylum seekers and 491 unaccompanied minors have been transferred from Greece to France as part of the ‘voluntary relocation scheme from Greece to other European countries’ that started in March 2020[4] (see also Access to the territory).
All relocated persons have previously undergone interviews with OFPRA, which assesses their need for protection and potential threats to public order. No official data are available about this mechanism or the nationality of the selected persons. However, it appears through communication upon arrival in France from OFII and the Ministry of Interior that relocated persons are mainly from Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia. Following their arrival, these persons are quickly received by OFII and granted refugee status by OFPRA.
Safe country concepts
Asylum seekers that are nationals of countries listed as safe are dealt with most of the time under an accelerated procedure (see Safe Country of Origin). Their access to asylum from detention is also more circumscribed compared to other nationalities (see Registration). The average protection rate for such nationalities was 11.7% in 2023, at first and second instance combined, but there are important variations from one country to another. For example, in 2023, Kosovo had a general protection rate of 17.6%, Albania had a rate of 16.7%, while Moldavia only 4.4%.
[1] OFPRA, ‘Press release – Syria, situation in Syria’, 10 December 2024, available in French here.
[2] CNDA, n°23042517 and 23042541 C+, press release and decision available in French here.
[3] Senate, Reply to written question n. 05842, 24 January 2019, available in French at: https://bit.ly/2GRdMlI.
[4] IOM, ‘Voluntary relocation scheme from Greece to other European countries’, Factsheet, 10 January 2022, available at: https://bit.ly/3t3CeGO.