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.518 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.519 In practice, whereas the law is clear on the 5-year duration, Prefectures issue only 2-year travel documents for refugees.
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.520 Failure to respect these limitations may lead to the Cessation of the protection grant, as confirmed by a 2017 ruling of the CNDA.521
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.522
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? 6 months 2. Number of beneficiaries staying in reception centres as of 31 December 2018 Not available
Beneficiaries are allowed to stay in reception centres 3 months following their protection grant.523 This period can be renewed for another 3 months with the express agreement of OFII.524 During their stay in the centre, beneficiaries are supported to find accommodation according to the mechanisms adopted by the local authorities. At the end of 2017, out of a total of 74,080 people accommodated in reception centres, 18.3% were beneficiaries of international protection.525
518 Article L.753-4 Ceseda.
519 See Ministry of Interior, Accueil des Etrangers, at: http://bit.ly/2lmClJR.
520 Articles L.753-1 and L.753-2 Ceseda.
521 CNDA, M. Q., Decision No 16032301, 6 July 2017.
522 CNDA, M. Z., Decision No 14033523, 5 October 2015.
523 Article R.744-12(1)(1) Ceseda.
524 Ibid.
525 OFII, 2017 Activity report, 24.
125 Beneficiaries can also be chanelled to temporary accommodation centres (Centres provisoires 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.526 At the end of 2018, there were 5,207 accommodation places in CPH spread across the different regions as follows:
Capacity of CPH per region: 2018
Region Maximum capacity
Auvergne Rhône-Alpes 807
Bourgogne Franche-Comté 301
Bretagne 338
Centre 251
Grand Est 443
Hauts de France 300
Ile de France 877
Normandie 286
Nouvelle Aqutaine 521
Occitanie 380
Provence Alpes Côte d’Azur 391
Pays de la Loire 312
Total 5,207
Source: Ministry of Interior, Circular NOR: INTV1900071J, 31 December 2018: https://bit.ly/2Syc2E8.
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.527 Beneficiaires have to sign a republican integration covenant in which they commit to respect French fundamental values and to comply with French legal obligations.528 The agreement between Prefectures and local stakeholders determines the role of each actor and their obligations towards the beneficiaries.529 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.
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
526 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.
527 Article L.751-1 Ceseda.
528 Article L.311-9 Ceseda.
529 This agreement is attached by to Decree n. 2016-253 of 2 March 2016.
126 depend on the individualised project of each beneficiary. This assistance aims to make refugees autnomous and to ensure their integration.530
Similar programmes have been developped in 9 other departments in 2017 and 2018. In its National Strategy for Integratoin published in June 2018, the governement has annouced the development of similar programmes throughout the country.531
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 natoinals except for positions specifically restricted to nationals.
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.532 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,533 is the current number of 240 hours of classes is rarely sufficient for beneficiaries to adequately command the language in order to get a job.534 Therefore, they often turn to their native community to be supported in their professional path, which might complicate their integration. The number of hours of French classes should be increased to 400 as from 2019, however.
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.
Moreover, 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.
530 Forum réfugiés – Cosi, Programme d'intégration des réfugiés – Accelair, available at: http://bit.ly/1TCowBy.
531 Ministry of Interior, Stratégie nationale pour l’accueil et l’intégration des personnes réfugiées, 5 June 2018, available in French at: https://bit.ly/2tY4qfN.
532 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.
533 Article L.311-9 Ceseda.
534 Libération, ‘Intégration des réfugiés: «sur la langue on perd un temps fou», selon un rapport’, 13 January 2018, available in French at: http://bit.ly/2DS08uT.
127 In February 2018, a report from Member of Parliament Aurélien Taché put forward 72 proposals aiming at reinforcing integration policy for migrants in France, among them beneficiaries of international protection.535 A National Strategy for Integration based on this report was annouced in June 2018,536 while several provisions of the 2018 reform reflect some of the recommendations such as increased French classes, development of integration programs like Accelair, mobilisation of housing for refugees etc.
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.