French OFPRA strict asylum procedure for Georgians

Georgian, Albanian and Kosovo citizens can no longer obtain a temporary residence permit on asylum grounds in France.

These countries have been added to the list of safe countries of origin. The decision was made by the management board of the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless people (OFPRA).

French civil service, website service-publik.fr reported that OFPRA issued the decision on December 13, 2013.

However, in exceptional cases asylum seekers from safe countries may ask for an individual examination of their application which gives them no right to stay in France during the time of the application review.

In 2012 up to 1888 Georgian citizens applied for asylum in France but 1738 were rejected for in-merit and admissibility, according to French based think-tank Forum réfugiés-Cosi which provides practical support to asylum seekers, refugees and other beneficiaries of international protection. However, 110 applicants received refugee status and 42 other received subsidiary protection.

Georgia has the ninth highest number of asylum applications to EU countries, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), statistics of 38 countries.

Latest figures from the report revealed a 55% increase in Georgian asylum seekers worldwide in 2012, compared to the previous year. Meanwhile in the EU, the number of Georgian asylum applications also increased. In 2012, 9,877Georgian asylum applications were lodged w a 53% increase on 2011.

Among the major countries of origin of asylum-seekers worldwide, significant increases was registered from Georgia (+55%) in 2012, UNHCR reports. However, in 2012 up to 9,877Georgian asylum applications lodged in EU, a 53% more comparison to 2011.

By the French law, a country is considered safe "if it ensures respect for the principles of liberty, democracy and the rule of law, as well as human rights and fundamental liberties".

The information report written by Senators Leconte and Frassa in November 2012 highlighted that the reason to include a country on the safe list is to reduce the number of asylum requests, rather than by the current political and social situation of any given country".

The public list of countries considered safe is public available on the OFPRA website. At the end of 2012, it included the following 18 countries: Armenia, Bangladesh, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cape Verde, Croatia, Ghana, India, Former Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Mauritius, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Senegal, Serbia, Tanzania, and Ukraine.