The government has decided on a moratorium on the expulsions of foreign students who have found refuge in France after fleeing the war in Ukraine, the executive announced on Monday July 4, also mentioning financial aid for people who host Ukrainians. This moratorium “until September for the case of students specifically”was adopted on June 17 and was the subject of a “interministerial decision”explains the government.
Prefect Joseph Zimet, who leads the interministerial crisis unit on the reception of Ukrainians, had already unveiled this measure in The world.
“It was decided (…) that no obligation to leave the territory [OQTF] would not be applied, nor any new OQTF decided until the start of the academic year.
Joseph Zimet, prefectin the newspaper “Le Monde”
“A new in-depth examination of their situation will be made, which will focus on their student project and their resources. We will apply the same criteria to them as students applying for a visa in France”underlined Joseph Zimet, while the prefectural decisions of expulsions targeting these non-Ukrainian students began to multiply in recent weeks.
>> War in Ukraine: refugees in France, foreign students now threatened with expulsion
The government believes that, “in the end, less than 200 people” will finally be able to stay in France after being offered “a second chance” in September. Today, nearly 3,500 third-country nationals (including but not limited to students) benefit from temporary protection in France after fleeing Ukraine.
Help for citizen hosts
Under the terms of the Europeans’ temporary protection for Ukrainians who fled the conflict, third-country nationals must return to their country if they can “safe and durable”, in other words if their country is not at war or if they do not fear for their lives there. A situation denounced by defenders of rights as a symbol of “Two weights, two measures” in welcoming exiles.
In addition, the executive also confirmed that financial aid was being studied, against the backdrop of the purchasing power crisis, for citizen accommodation providers, which currently host more than 10,000 Ukrainians in total. She should rise “from 150 to 200 euros for a few months”specified to World Joseph Zimet, explaining that it was“to prevent this welcome from collapsing”. “Having a Ukrainian household at home for several months creates financial burdens and can lead to a form of weariness.”