Unlike Germany*, France does not seem to be a dream destination for migrants and refugees. The number of asylum applications is expected to remain stable this year.
In an editorial in the Tribune de Genève, the Swiss newspaper explains that the lack of economic dynamism in our country discourages refugees from coming while “the socialist government is paying lip service to the humanist tradition,” and “the French right-wing parties are vying for the prize of pettiness.”
Those who incite public opinion for purely electoral purposes can tone it down. In fact, “their” scheme is rather obvious and contradicted by the figures.
Migrants and refugees, mainly Syrians, clearly do not wish to settle in France, unlike in Germany and Sweden. The numbers speak for themselves: while our country is expecting “only” 65,000 new asylum applications this year (a stable figure compared to 2014), Germany expects to welcome nearly a million refugees.
Also to read – Germany: an agency wants to convince migrants to come to France
So why such a discrepancy with our neighbor, which is among the top three countries with the most interest from refugees, alongside Sweden and the United Kingdom? For several reasons: administrative, structural, etc.
In addition to our unemployment rate, asylum seekers protest against being banned from working during the review period of their application, which can take one to two years.
Furthermore, France does not have a reputation for easily granting residence permits.
The lack of accommodation is also pointed out by refugees while emergency reception centers are saturated.
