The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra) reported that the country received a record number of applications, exceeding those received the previous year by more than 8%.
The year 2023 witnessed an unprecedented phenomenon in France, a country that received, according to French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra), a record of 142,500 asylum applications. This marked a significant increase in 8.6% compared to the previous year.
According to the annual report of the Ofpra, Afghanistan For the sixth consecutive year, it leads the list of countries of origin with 17,500 applications, followed by Bangladesh with 8,600, Türkiye with 8,500 and the Democratic Republic of Congo with 8,000, the news agency acknowledged Sputnik.
The asylum process in France
However, the situation varies in the French overseas territories. The French Guianalocated in South Americaexperiment an exceptional 102% increase in asylum applications compared to the previous year. In contrast, in the archipelago of Mayottelocated in the Mozambique Channel and facing an acute shortage of drinking water, a 26% decrease in the number of migrants was recorded.
Furthermore, it was highlighted that Efficiency in the asylum process improved during 2023. In correspondence with the data provided by Ofpra, the 33% of applications were approved, an exponential increase compared to previous years. Likewise, it was achieved reduce processing time average from 5.2 months in 2022 to 4.2 months in 2023, indicating an effort by the French authorities to streamline and improve care for asylum seekers in this migratory panorama.
Illegal migration in Europe: a concern that grows day by day
The European Border Agency (Frontex) recently released a report that reflects a worrying increase in attempted irregular entries into the European Union (EU) during 2023. With a total of 380,000 attempts, the highest figure is recorded since 2016, marking at the same time the highest percentage increase in that period.
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According to the Warsaw-based entity, cases of irregular migration at EU borders experienced a 17% increase last year. Hans Lejtensdirector of the entity, stressed that this increase reflects the notable challenge involved in protecting European borders in this context.
The report of Frontex confirmed that the region of Mediterranean center is positioned as the most active route in terms of irregular migration. In the last three years, this area experienced an increasing trend in the number of admissions.
Source: Ambito
