It usually takes several years of someone living in a country before one can apply for citizenship. But that exact time period depends on the country and how someone is legally defined. InfoMigrants takes a look at the regulations in several countries in the European Union including Germany, France, Sweden and Denmark.
In the north of Paris, at Porte de la Chapelle, hundreds of migrants camping under the ring road are being subjected to an onslaught of drug addicts, who are living a few meters away. In light of the junkies’ volatile behavior, organizations are making fewer and fewer trips to the camp, to the detriment of asylum seekers.
In Saint-Herblain, on the outskirts of the western French city of Nantes, an abandoned sports hall has become a squat for hundreds of migrants. The living conditions in the squat are dire, and the occupants say they have been left to fend for themselves. “Where’s the government?,” a 27-year-old Guinean wonders.
The EU border agency Frontex has denied having documented any "collusion" between NGOs and human traffickers. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had claimed earlier in the week that Frontex knew of NGOs aiding smugglers.
The French interior minister has said that non-government organizations play an essential role in providing aid to migrants. In a video posted on social media, he said he had not been questioning the sincerity of NGOs in commenting that some were proven to have links with traffickers.
French government sources say there are no longer any disputes between Rome and Paris regarding the question of migrants at the border and that the issue is "less central because landings in Italy are nearly zero."
Refugee status and subsidiary protection are not necessarily permanent. Under what circumstance can these statuses be revoked?
Germany has deported another group of Afghan asylum seekers back to Kabul. 21 men arrived in the capital on Wednesday morning, bringing the number returned to the country over the past three years to more than 530. Critics say Afghanistan is still too dangerous for the rejected asylum seekers.
Several times a week, the Midis du Mie collective organizes lunch distributions for unaccompanied foreign minors in the garden on Rue Pali-Kao in the 20th arrondissement of Paris. These meetings draw youth who are dealing with complicated administrative procedures, who sometimes speak little French, and who don’t know anyone in the city. The volunteers of the collective can identify them, guide them, and help the most vulnerable.
The number of first-time asylum applications in the European Union has fallen to 580,845, Eurostat has reported. At the height of the migrant movements into Europe in 2015, asylum applications exceeded 1.2 million.
On Tuesday French security forces dismantled the largest informal migrant camp in Calais in northern France. The destruction of the Verrotiéres camp had been announced and planned several days ahead of time. It had been constructed on private land and a fence has now been erected to prevent migrants from returning.
Even if your application for asylum has been rejected in Germany, you have certain rights. What are these?