Beneficiaries of protection are entirely free to settle in any part of the French territory. They are not restricted to specific areas.
2. Travel documents
The law states that the duration of validity of travel documents is defined by Article 953 of the General Tax Code: 5 years for refugees, if it is a biometric travel document, and one year for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection.492 French law does not provide for duration of validity of non-biometric travel documents. Official French websites, however, assert that the duration of validity of travel documents for refugees is 2 years.493 In practice, whereas the law is clear on the 5-year duration, Prefectures issue only 2-year travel documents for refugees.
489 Article L.752-1(I) Ceseda.
490 Article L.752-1(II) Ceseda.
491 Articles R.751-1 to R.751-3 Ceseda.
492 Article L.753-4 Ceseda.
493 See Ministry of Interior, Accueil des Etrangers, at: http://bit.ly/2lmClJR.
120 Geographical limitations are applied to these travel documents. Refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection are not allowed to travel to countries where personal fears have been identified.494 Failure to respect these limitations may lead to the Cessation of the protection grant.
In 2015, the CNDA confirmed a cessation decision adopted by OFPRA, regarding an Afghan refugee who had spent two months in his country in order to celebrate his marriage. However, considering the current situation in Afghanistan, he has been granted subsidiary protection.495
Travel documents are issued by Prefecture. In practice, no specific problem has been reported, except the fact that prefectures can be very slow in delivering the document.
D. Housing
Indicators: Housing
1. For how long are beneficiaries entitled to stay in reception centres? 3 months, renewable once 2. Number of beneficiaries staying in reception centres as of 31 December 2016 Not available
Beneficiaries are allowed to stay in accommdation centres 3 months following their protection grant.496 This period can be renewed for another 3 months with the express agreement of OFII.497 During their stay in the accommodation centre, beneficiaries are supported to find accommodation according to the mechanisms adopted by the local authorities. They can also be chanelled to temporary accommodation centres (Centre provisoire d’hébergement, CPH) upon an OFII decision. They will be then allowed to stay there for 9 months. This stay can be renewed for a 3-month period.498
The implemenation of integration mechanims relies on Prefectures and local authorities. They sign in fact an agreement with the stakeholders to support and assist beneficiaries with their integration.499 Beneficiaires have to sign a republican integration covenant in which they commit to respect French fundamental values and to comply with French legal obligations.500 The agreement between Prefectures and local stakeholders determines the role of each actor and their obligations towards the beneficiaries.501 The organisations running these centres have to house the beneficiaries but also support them in their integration process. They have to assist them in getting access to French classes, funded by the French State, and accompany them in determining their professionnal orientation. At the end of their stay in CPH, beneficiaries fall under the general rules applicable to foreigners and have to integrate in the private market to get housing.
The actions implemented to facilitate beneficiaries integration vary from an area to another. 12 months, in case the initial duration of stay has been extended, may not be enough for beneficiairies to get integrated. France terre d’asile and Forum réfugiés – Cosi manage systems intending to facilitate this access to integration. These mechanisms are focused on beneficiaries’ integration but are based on the French general provisions dedicated to access to housing for insecure populations.
494 Articles L.753-1 and L.753-2 Ceseda.
495 CNDA, M. Z., Decision No 14033523, 5 October 2015.
496 Article R.744-12(I)(1) Ceseda.
497 Ibid.
498 Article R.349-1 Code of Social Action and Families as amended by Decree n. 2016-253 of 2 March 2016 relating to temporary accommodation centres for refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, available in French at: http://bit.ly/2jNt1xD.
499 Article L.751-1 Ceseda, as amended by Law n. 2016-274 of 7 March 2016.
500 Article L.311-9 Ceseda, as amended by Law n. 2016-274 of 7 March 2016.
501 This agreement is attached by to Decree n. 2016-253 of 2 March 2016.
121 France terre d’asile runs three centres :
1. A temporary accommodation scheme dedicated only to refugees from Paris (Dispositif provisoire d’hébergement des réfugiés statutaires de Paris, DPHRSP). Families of refugees, previsouly accommodated in centres in Paris, are accommodated in this scheme. Referrals are made by the aforementioned centres. This scheme includes 350 places. In 2015, 510 persons have benefited from it.502
2. A one-place temporary accommodation centre in Angers : this centre is open to all beneficiaries and aims to facilitate their integration.
3. The Réseau pour l’emploi et le logement des réfugiés (RELOREF) : an accommodation scheme composed by 29 apartments and offering 139 places. This mechanism aims to facilitate the access to housing and the labour market for refugees.503
Forum réfugies – Cosi runs the Accelair programme. This programme is dedicated to refugees living in Lyon area and who have been granted asylum for less than one year. On the basis of this programme, places are saved for refugees within the real estates managed by providers of social housing. Refugees registered in this programme are supported from 6 to 18 months. The duration of the support may depend on the individualised project of each beneficiary. This assistance aims to make refugees autnomous and to ensure their integration.504
E. Employment and education
1. Access to the labour marketBeneficiaries are allowed to access the labour market from the moment they are granted asylum, whether they are refugees or beneficiaries of subsidiary protection. They have the same access as French citizens.
They are applied the Labour code (Ctrav) as any French national.
However, they encounter the same difficulties regarding the access to this market as those they face in terms of Housing. The same legal framework regulates the mechanisms of integration of beneficiaries regarding employment. The organisations running the CPH are funded to support beneficiaries in determining their professional path and facilitating their integration in the labour market.505 To do so, these organisations implement partnerships with stakeholders in charge of access to the labour market and the struggle against unemployment. Then, they work in close collaboration with the French national employment agency (Pôle emploi) or with local charities and NGOs to facilitate the professional integration of beneficiaries.
In practice, it is more difficult for them to find a job. The first obstacle is obviously linked to the language.
Even if the law provides that the French State provides French classes,506 it is rarely sufficient for beneficiaries to get a job. Therefore, they often turn to their native community to be supported in their professional path, which might complicate their integration.
In the countryside, they also have difficulties regarding remoteness of location. Outside big French cities, it is compulsory to have a car in order to have a chance to find a job. However, these difficulties are not typical to beneficiaries even if they affect them more directly. They indeed cannot afford to buy a vehicle and do not benefit from any family support.
502 France terre d’asile, DPHRS de Paris, available at: http://bit.ly/2jv6pAQ.
503 France terre d’asile, RELOREF, available at: http://bit.ly/2ljVMlN.
504 Forum réfugiés – Cosi, Programme d'intégration des réfugiés – Accelair, available at: http://bit.ly/1TCowBy.
505 Article 8 Standard Agreement relating to the functioning of CPH, attached to the Decree of 2 March 2016 relating to temporary accommodation centres for refuges and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, available in French at: http://bit.ly/2jNt1xD.
506 Article L.311-9 Ceseda, as amended by Law n. 2016-274 of 7 March 2016.
122 Finally, refugees and beneficiaries of international protection suffer from a lack of recognition of their national diplomas. This implies therefore that highly skilled beneficiaries face the main obstacles to enter to the labour market. They have to accept unqualified jobs, mostly without any link with their previous job in their country of origin. Social workers refer to protection beneficiaries as a “sacrificed generation”. They have renounced practicing their original trade so that their children can graduate in France and be able to aim for highly skilled positions.
2. Access to education
Access to education is the same for beneficiaries as for asylum seekers (see Reception Conditions:
Access to Education). The main difference is linked to access to vocational training for adults. These trainings fall under the professional integration systems described in the section on Housing.
Beneficiaries’ children are allowed to get access to any school included into the national education system. They do not have to attend preparatory classes. In the event they have special needs, in terms of language or disability for example, they will be orientated accordingly to the general education system.
F. Health care
Health care for beneficiaries is the same as provided to asylum seekers, which is the same provided to French citizens. The difficulties encountered by beneficiaries are not specific to their status but are typical of structural dysfunctions identified within the French health care system (see Reception Conditions:
Health Care).