The number of persons seeking asylum in France reached a new high last year, up more than 8% over the previous year, according to the country’s refugee protection office. The announced rise comes just weeks after the government implemented a stringent new immigration law in response to far-right lobbying. Around 142,500 persons applied in total, including 123,400 for the first time, and roughly one-third of all requests for protection were accepted, according to provisional estimates from the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA). In 2022, just 131,000 persons applied, with a somewhat lower proportion (29%) receiving a positive response.
This increase is not specific to France but comes within a European context
“This increase is not specific to France, but comes within a European context,” OFPRA director Julien Boucher told AFP. “It is much lower than the European average” increase, he added. First-time asylum applications in Germany increased by more than 50 per cent last year to 329,120, according to official numbers released earlier this month. For the sixth year in a row, Afghanistan had the most first-time applications in France last year, according to OFPRA numbers, with 17,500 Afghans seeking shelter away from their war-torn nation.
Other big contingents seeking safety came from Bangladesh, Turkey, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Guinea. France has a long history of accepting refugees and immigrants, but an increase in the number of asylum seekers, a chronic lack of affordable housing, and a cost-of-living crisis have exacerbated social tensions in the country. Last month, Parliament approved a contentious new immigration law that had been tightened due to right-wing pressure. This week, an expert committee will rule on whether it is constitutionally compliant.
