France sees 100,000 asylum claims in ’17

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PARIS, Jan 8, (AFP): Asylum claims in France hit a record 100,000 last year, official figures showed Monday, as President Emmanuel Macron’s government draws up hotly-debated new legislation on immigration. Officials said the rate of arrivals was “historic”, with Albanians forming the biggest group of applicants despite their country being considered safe by France. “It confirms that France is one of the countries receiving the most asylum claims in Europe,” Pascal Brice, head of refugee protection agency Ofpra, told AFP.

“It’s a historic level,” he added, though he noted the numbers are just half of those seen in neighbouring Germany last year. Macron’s government is preparing to unveil a bill on immigration next month, but his centrist Republique En Marche (Republic On The Move) party are divided on how to tackle the issue. Macron and Prime Minister Edouard Philippe have vowed to speed up the process for managing asylum requests and offering improved conditions for successful applicants. But they have also promised a much tougher line on economic migrants that would see an increased number of deportations and tighter controls on people arriving.

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