Author
OFII (Office français de l’immigration et de l’intégration) is the administration responsible for the reception of asylum seekers. All asylum seekers are referred to OFII after being registered as asylum seekers by Prefectures.
OFII interviews asylum seekers to assess whether they are eligible to reception conditions. If so, they will be directed to accommodation. In practice, the orientation of asylum seekers to accommodation takes place in the days or weeks following the OFII interview, but only half are accommodated in reception centres for asylum seekers. OFII is also in charge of setting and granting financial allowances. Payment starts after the registration of the asylum claim at OFPRA. The asylum claim must be sent to OFPRA in a maximum time of 21 days after registration by the Prefecture.
Asylum seekers are only accommodated when there is enough capacity. Yet, places are currently insufficient as a result of which OFII must prioritise cases based on individual circumstances and vulnerability. Persons entitled to reception following a decision from OFII can stay in the centre for 6 months after they are granted international protection or for 1 month after their claim is rejected.
Accommodation centres for asylum seekers provide rooms to sleep and cook (usually common kitchens) as well as assistance from social workers on legal and social issues. Each centre is different, ranging from large buildings with offices and bedrooms to apartments at different locations.
There are different types of accommodation centres:
- CAES (centres d’accueil et d’évaluation des situations): these are transit centres which aim at providing a quick access to reception while evaluating ones’ personal situation so that they can be re-directed accordingly;
- CADA (centres d’accueil pour demandeurs d’asile): these are accommodation centres for all asylum seekers, with the exception of those subject to a Dublin procedure;
- HUDA (lieux d’hébergement d’urgence pour demandeurs d’asile): these are centres for all applicants, including Dublin applicants.
On 18 December 2020, the Ministry of Interior published its 2021-2023 national reception plan for asylum seekers and the integration of refugees.[1] The plan should be renewed for the period 2024-27, but has not yet been finalized at the time of writing this report.
This plan makes it possible to adapt the reception policy to the migration context and to the specific characteristics of the regions, inter alia through a better distribution of asylum seekers across all French territory. It is based on two pillars: better accommodation and support.
Since 2021, this plan (governed by an order of 13 May 2022)[2] enabled better orientation from the Paris region. Over the years 2021 and 2022, 48,230 asylum seekers were offered accommodation in another region, 12,124 refused it, 36,106 asylum seekers accepted it and 30,402 actually reached their place of accommodation.[3] No data are available for 2023 at the time of writing this report. However, this plan had a negative impact on accommodation in these regions, as the local situation has not improved and it is now becoming almost easier to be accommodated from Paris than from other places. Moreover, it can lead to deprivation of all reception conditions for people who do not accept to go to another region.
[1] Ministry of Interior, Schema national d’accueil des demandeurs d’asile et d’intégration des réfugiés, 18 Décembre 2020, available in French at: https://bit.ly/3piiYl0.
[2] Arrêté du 13 mai 2022 pris en application de l’article L. 551-1 du code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile, NOR : CITC2212434A, available in French at: https://bit.ly/3xbZxnF.
[3] Assemblée nationale, Rapport fait au nom de la Commission des finances sur l’orientation directive, 24 May 2023, available in French at: https://bit.ly/3PCMCS0.