Seeking protection in France, you may find useful information regarding asylum in France. Here in this article, our main aim is to provide the information for claiming asylum. Moreover, if you want information regarding asylum in any country, you may visit here.
France’s bureaucracy can be huge chaos, even for French people. These are the basic steps to be taken to stay in France: You can seek asylum, or you can apply for temporary residency.
How to apply for asylum in France?
As in most of the countries, the first thing you can do is to approach UNHRC. To apply for asylum, you may need to get registered with the signing authorities. The first thing you need to do is to go to the PADA (plateforme d’acceuil pour demandeurs d’asile). PADA is an independent organization that helps asylum seekers in France. PADA organization helps you to fill out the form and prepares your application based on it. You need to fill out this application form as the initial step. The respective agent from PADA will arrange your appointment with the police prefecture.
Applying for asylum:
- The PADA
To begin your application for asylum, you will go to a PADA within the first 120 days of your stay in France. A PADA is an independent agency which provides help to asylum seekers.
A PADA agent will assist you in preparing your asylum request. The PADA will not determine whether you are permitted to live in France.
You don’t need a permanent address or other documents to go to the PADA. You will get an appointment at the police prefecture within ten days after you meet with the PADA agent.
- If you are in the Paris region, you can find your PADA here:
http://www.gisti.org/IMG/pdf/pada_idf.pdf
- In Paris, there is one PADA for people who are alone and another PADA for families with children (CAFDA).
- If outside of the Paris region (Ile-de-France), you can find your PADA here:
http://www.gisti.org/IMG/pdf/adresse_pada_fev2016_site.pdf
2. The prefecture
The document you need to apply for asylum will issue at the police prefecture. It is the ” formulaire Ofpra,” and it is your application’s most critical component.
At the police prefecture, they will take your fingerprints. They will check if you have already requested asylum in another country or not.
After that, they will give you a certificate that allows you to stay in the country for one month.
3. Ofpra
Ofpra is the French office for the protection of refugees.
There you have to fill out the formulai. In it, you will describe why you need asylum. You have to bring the form to Ofpra within 21 days after your meeting at the prefecture.
Instead, Ofpra sends you a date for an interview. During the interview, you’ll tell an Ofpra officer directly that you seek asylum. In your language, you might call for an interpreter.
Ofpra will decide within six months whether you are eligible for asylum or not.
4. CNDA
If your case your application is denied. You can appeal to the Cour nationale du droit d’asile: the National Asylum Court, or CNDA. You must file an appeal within 1 month of the decision by Ofpra.
Types of Asylum-
There are two types of asylum in France:
- Refugee protection.
- Subsidiary protection.
Asylum criteria usually depend on a substantial chance. The refugees can apply for asylum in their home country if they get harmed or prosecuted. But the appeal for asylum can still be refused if the person has committed any crime. Refugees have the right to live and work in France.
- They can also bring their spouse and children.
- Those who granted refugee statuses can apply for French citizens immediately.
- Their protection has the right to get travel documents.
- That protection is required to attend some training programs.
- Their protection provides you with almost similar rights to social benefits as French citizens.
List of the documents that you might need:
- A valid identity proof (can be a passport also).
- Apart from a legal entry visa, you should have documents that gave information about your legal entrance in French territory.
- Also, they might ask some record of the travelling route from the origin country to France.
- Where you are staying in France, the current dwelling address.
Applicators can apply for asylum or protection in France with these documents. Also, applicators would need to write an explanation in French that clarifies the intention of seeking asylum in France.
How And Where To Do Registration?
PADA offices are located all over the nation. If you’re currently in Paris, then you may find offices here.
If you’re in any other city other than Paris, then you may find PADA offices here.
Where to Submit your application?
The application form needs to submit to the Police prefecture. PADA agent will help you to get all the required documents for the asylum application. The OFII (Office Français de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration) will handle your request for asylum. After getting your documents done, the agent will arrange your appointment with OFII. GUDA will convey the date and the timings of your appointment. They’ll take some details of you like fingerprints, family details, and others. This step is to ensure that you haven’t applied for asylum in any other country.
Final Steps for the Asylum
Once your interview got completed, you’ll get a letter stating that you can stay in France. You’ll also receive another document stating your application will get transferred to OFPRA. OFPRA (Office français de protection des réfugiés et apatrides) is an independent association. You must need to submit your form to the OFPRA within 21 days, or your application will get cancelled. OFPRA will be the last and the final stage for your application request. Every asylum seeker in France must have to pass the OFPRA interview to get asylum.
In the interview, they’ll ask simple questions like why you need asylum and other basic ones. This interview is going to be very important, and you need to be very confident. Being an Interviewee, you can also ask for the Interpreter for your language. After getting your interview done, the positive response means you got refugee status. The refugee status entitles you that you may stay in France now for up to 10 years with this temporary residence card. You can also raise a case and challenge the decision in the National Asylum Court. Somehow, if you’re not able to make it to the interview, you can also raise a case in the court. This case is for challenging the decision in the National Asylum Court.
You may also read and follow these guidelines issued by the OFPRA.
For more information, you may also refer to this.
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