Sunday, August 27th., 2017
Paid Leave: France Offers Migrants €2,500 to Return Home
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France’s
Immigration and Integration Bureau (OFII) is offering migrants €2,500
each if they voluntarily return to their home country before the end of
this year. In an interview with Sputnik, Francois Guennoc, Vice
President of Migrants’ Shelter association, said the allowance would
hardly help solve the problem of illegal migration to Europe.
”The
OFII is now consideribng around 80,000 asylum requests [there were
85,726 such applications in 2016, which is 13.3 percent more than in
2015], and only 5 percent or so return home,” Francois Guennocs told
told Sputnik France.
OFII
workers are making the offer to migrants arriving in Calais and helping
those who agree to return to complete exit formalities, making sure
that each is paid €2,500 upon his or her arrival back home.
”Some migrants leave because they are not happy with the conditions
offered them in Europe. Others move out because the situation in their
home countries has improved. Still others leave because they are
exhausted and desperate. That’s what we had in Calais before the
[Jungle] camp was dismantled last fall: up to 30 Afghans and some
Pakistanis agreed to return home each week,” Francois Guennoc continued.
He added that with €2,500 in their pockets, the migrants would no longer be forced to go back home empty-handed and would even be able to start a business in their home countries.
“They are given the money either at the airport or upon their arrival home. The problem is, however, that those who have already been documented in Italy could come to France, get the money and head back to Italy. Also, some of those who get the money and return home might be tempted to make a new trip to Europe,” Francois Guennocs noted. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have been arriving in Europe hoping to escape conflict and poverty in their home countries.
According to the French Interior Ministry's July 11 press release, France received 85,726 asylum requests in 2016, an increase in comparison to 80,075 demands in 2015.
”The French authorities are not doing enough
to accommodate and protect incoming migrants, both adults and children.
This measure will not solve the problem of accommodating migrants
in France,” he added.
Earlier, Intrior Minister Gerard Collomb announced that the
government allowance to refugees exiting the country would be raised
from €1,000 to €2,500 before December 31, 2017.
©
AFP 2017/ PHILIPPE HUGUEN
He added that with €2,500 in their pockets, the migrants would no longer be forced to go back home empty-handed and would even be able to start a business in their home countries.
“They are given the money either at the airport or upon their arrival home. The problem is, however, that those who have already been documented in Italy could come to France, get the money and head back to Italy. Also, some of those who get the money and return home might be tempted to make a new trip to Europe,” Francois Guennocs noted. Hundreds of thousands of migrants have been arriving in Europe hoping to escape conflict and poverty in their home countries.
According to the French Interior Ministry's July 11 press release, France received 85,726 asylum requests in 2016, an increase in comparison to 80,075 demands in 2015.