Abandoned in Istanbul by a man who claimed to be a certified FIFA agent, Stèphane, an Ivorian footballer, arrived in France, where he became a sports educator in the Paris region. Undocumented for a decade but with a permanent work contract, Stéphane now wants to regularize his status. But he can’t get an appointment at the police prefecture office that handles immigration appointments. This is his story:
In France, getting an appointment at the prefecture to apply for or renew a residence permit has become a near impossible task. The Defender of Rights has called on the interior ministry to take concrete measures to improve the situation.
InfoMigrants spoke to Shâyân*, an Iranian engineer who lives with his family in a migrant camp near Bihac in Bosnia. Although the rest of Bosnia is no longer under lockdown, the migrant camp remains in quarantine after a doctor at the camp tested positive for the coronavirus.
Arshid*, 28, left his native Iran, where he was forced to hide his homosexuality. He continues to do so in Bosnia’s Bira camp, where he has been stuck for nine months. The coronavirus pandemic has made it even more difficult to reach Europe, but he’s not giving up hope of reaching a country where he can finally "be himself".
Getting by as a migrant without papers is certainly hard, and if you become sick it can be much worse, even life threatening. So where can you turn in France when you need medical assistance?
Fifteen Afghan nationals recently won legal recourse and were granted French residency permits after having worked for the French armed forces in Afghanistan. Upon their arrival in France this summer they have been left to fend for themselves, without any social assistance.
Migrants working illegally on British soil are vulnerable to abuse by unscrupulous employers, but they could also face prison terms of up to 6 months. Over the past three years, enforcement has intensified and employers are encouraged to report undocumented migrants.
In France, asylum seekers who do not speak French - or who don’t speak it well enough - must use interpreters to tell their story at Ofpra (French Office for Protection for Refugees and Stateless people) or the CNDA (France's National Court of Asylum). Interpreting requires rigor and neutrality. However, in practice, and despite the importance of the issue, translation errors do occur.
The risk of developing diabetes is higher for migrants in France. A change in diet, lack of exercise and problems accessing regular health care and check ups are all contributing factors.
The theft or loss of identity papers during migration is common and can have dramatic consequences. Digital safes and other tricks can help migrants keep official documents online safely.
Migrants seeking asylum in Paris will be able to receive free legal aid from students at the prestigious Professional Bar School through a program set to begin next week. The students will help with tasks such as writing up statements, and preparing for interviews with the refugee office or for court hearings. The initiative is aimed as much at providing vulnerable migrants with essential legal help, as it is at sensitizing the country’s future lawyers to the situation of asylum seekers.
Isolated underage migrants are sometimes targeted by pedophiles. Organizations that work with young migrants have reported several cases of sexual violence. So how can young people best protect themselves when sleeping on the streets of Paris?