“France is one of the countries that expels the most,” assures the director general of the French Immigration Office

“Approximately 12,000 people per year are forced by the police to leave the territory,” explained Didier Leschi on Wednesday on franceinfo.

“France is one of the countries that expels the most”assured Wednesday January 24 on franceinfo the director general of the French Immigration Office (Ofii) Didier Leschi. “Approximately 12,000 people per year are forced by the police to leave the territory”, he clarified. Asylum requests in Europe “increased by 17%” in 2023, explains Didier Leschi. Asked about the 8% increase in asylum requests in France, the head of Ofii specifies that this is a European phenomenon. Germany is the first country of destination, followed by Spain which welcomed “nearly 160,000 people from the South American continent”.

franceinfo: How many people are affected each year in France by obligations to leave French territory (OQTF)?

Didier Leschi: It is a legal provision which allows the administration to know exactly what the administrative situation is of someone who no longer has the right to stay on the territory but who has, according to European directives from the rest of our legislation , one month to leave the territory and which can be arrested after the implementation of a constraint to leave the territory. France is one of the countries that expels the most, according to the latest report from the Court of Auditors on the issue of managing illegal immigration. Around 12,000 people per year are forced by the police to leave the country.

The immigration bill aims to overhaul the asylum system, including a reduction in avenues of appeal. If this law is adopted, what would be the main break?

There are currently twelve options available for someone who must leave the territory. The challenge of the law was to reduce them to three. It was a recommendation of both the Council of State and the Senate Law Committee. More broadly, the objective of this law, if it is adopted in a country which remains a large host country, is to tighten a certain number of conditions to facilitate integration. There are language conditions that are imposed.

“There is indeed a desire to align our legal system on family immigration with what may exist among our neighbors.”

Didier Leschi, general director of Ofii

on franceinfo

In particular, there is this idea of ​​aligning the conditions of family reunification for the spouses of French people with those of residents. Today, for example, the main part of family immigration is the bringing together of French spouses. A French person can bring someone in regardless of housing conditions or resource conditions. What the text that came out of the joint committee proposes is to align the conditions of the French with those of residents.

Asylum requests are at a historic level in 2023, in France and in Europe…

Yes, France has an 8% increase in asylum applications. We are around 145,000 people who have arrived in France, mainly Guineans, Afghans, Bangladeshis… There is an overall increase in Europe of more than 17%. The first country to be affected by the increase in asylum requests is Germany, where we have 100,000 Turks who returned to Europe due to the economic situation in Turkey. In 2023, Spain will be the second country for asylum requests with the massive arrival of people from the South American continent, with nearly 70,000 Venezuelans, 70,000 Colombians and Peruvians. 70% of asylum requests in Spain come from the South American continent.