Ukrainians in France increasingly choose refugee status instead of temporary protection

Although temporary protection offers additional rights, Ukrainians more often choose asylum seeker status. Among the reasons are: resources allocated for the reception of Ukrainians in France are sharply decreasing; many cannot find housing, or face problems in finding work and apartments.

UNN reports with reference to La Croix. 

Details

In France, Ukrainians are increasingly seeking asylum. According to statistics, the number of Ukrainians who applied for refugee status sharply increased in 2025. La Croix provides statistics for the beginning of summer this year. It states that from January 1 to May 31, more than 7,000 applications for refugee status were submitted.

For comparison, in 2024, Ukrainians submitted 12,031 asylum applications to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA), compared to 3,250 in 2023. This trend is only growing.

"From January to May 2025, demand from Ukraine increased by 86.9% compared to the same period in 2024," Ofpra notes.

Why not temporary protection with more rights, but refugee status? This is explained by the influence of various factors and changes in expectations.

Initially, people came thinking they would leave quickly, but after three years of war, no one expects an immediate return

For reference

Since 2022, France has granted temporary protection to 111,299 Ukrainians, mostly women and children. Since then, some have left France.

Today, between 75,000 and 80,000 Ukrainians remain in the country

Temporary protection allows obtaining a residence permit for six months, which can be extended up to three years. And this status offers additional rights compared to those offered to asylum seekers.

On June 13, the European Council announced the extension of temporary protection until March 4, 2027; until recently, this mechanism was guaranteed only until March 2026.

However, out of 75,000–80,000 Ukrainians in France, only 20,000 work and therefore have the means to find independent housing. Amid shrinking financial resources, the supply of affordable rental housing through intermediaries is decreasing.

In hotel-type housing, we are in the process of reducing by more than half. ... People call me in tears because the prefecture tells them that their housing is ending, and that if they cannot find housing on their own, they must apply for asylum

Currently, many Ukrainians are rushing to obtain a less favorable status, which, moreover, prohibits them from returning to their country of origin.

Faced with an uncertain and short-term prospect, many preferred to secure their future by applying for asylum. Especially since asylum grants the right to a residence permit, which can be valid for four or ten years.

Recall

According to the UN, as of July 1, 2025, 5.6 million Ukrainians are outside Ukraine. Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic remain the main countries for Ukrainian migrants.

In the first quarter of 2025, housing prices in the EU increased by almost 6%, and rental prices by 3.2% compared to the same period in 2024.