Half a Million Refugees in France by the End of 2022

The French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA) announced today, Monday, that France has surpassed half a million refugees on its territory by the end of 2022, with over 56,000 asylum applications accepted last year. The office noted in its annual report that 56,276 people were "newly placed under protection" in France, whether following a preliminary decision from the office or upon appeal to the National Court of Asylum. It added that "the population under OFPRA protection reached 547,102 individuals as of December 31, 2022." For the fifth consecutive year, Afghan nationals submitted the highest number of asylum applications in France, with 17,000 requests out of a total of 131,000.