After a long period of temporary protection in France, some Ukrainian refugees began to change their approach to their legal situation. If in 2022-2023 the main task was to issue a legal stay as soon as possible and receive basic support, now another motivation has appeared — the search for a long-term status that allows you to plan a long-term life in the country, and not stay in it on the basis of temporary presence.
Why Ukrainians want to get refugee status
In 2025, France recorded an unprecedented increase in applications for refugee status from Ukrainian citizens. Over the past five months, more than 7,000 people have applied to the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (OFPRA), almost twice as many as in the same period of the previous year. In 2024, there were 12,031 such applications per year, and in 2023 – only 3,250. This is reported by The Cross. The pace of growth looks like a signal — Ukrainians are less and less considering temporary protection as an adaptation tool, instead looking for legal forms of long-term stabilization.
France, like most EU countries, introduced a temporary protection regime under EU Directive 2001/55/EC immediately after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This regime gives the right to residence, access to medical care, employment, and social support. Formally, it has been extended until March 2027, but more and more Ukrainians perceive it as a temporary support, and not as a basis for real rooting.
A key problem has been that the funding behind the temporary protection system has been gradually reduced. French regions are already reducing the number of subsidized hotel places, and temporary accommodation centers are facing a shortage of places. Nadiya Sollogub, a senator from the French diaspora, warned at the beginning of the year that the state could cut funding for such facilities in half. The reaction was quick: the increase in the number of applications for refugee status was a response to the loss of confidence in long-term security.
The labor market and the housing issue as catalysts
According to official estimates, out of approximately 75-80 thousand Ukrainians who are in France on the basis of temporary protection, only about 20 thousand have stable work and independent housing. This means that the majority continue to depend on state support or are in a precarious situation. Renting housing without a long-term residence permit is difficult, as is obtaining a permanent employment contract.
Therefore, for many, the refugee status turns from a formal right to political asylum to a practical tool — to get a residence permit for several years, access to integration programs, a real opportunity to stabilize the life situation. This decision is often accompanied by the loss of certain short-term benefits, but provides a stronger legal basis for living in France.
What gives refugee status in practice
Applications for refugee status in France are reviewed by OFPRA, an independent administrative body that is required to provide a reasoned response based on a personal interview and assessment of the situation. In case of a positive decision, the applicant receives a residence permit for several years (for refugees – up to 10 years with the possibility of extension), as well as the opportunity to apply for permanent legalization and even citizenship.
In addition, refugee status gives priority access to a number of social programs, including support in finding housing, French language courses, and vocational training. Psychological safety is also an important factor for many: the received decision means not just staying in the country, but legal recognition of the reasons why a person cannot return home.
Compared to temporary protection, refugee status or additional protection (protection subsidiaire) opens up wider horizons — in particular, it allows you to plan a long-term stay without annual dependence on government decisions to extend the regime.
European dynamics
By the end of May 2025, about 4.28 million people in the EU countries used temporary protection, and more than 98% of them were Ukrainians. But at the same time, the increase in applications for refugee status from Ukraine increased noticeably not only in France. Spain, Italy, partly the Czech Republic — all demonstrate a new dynamic: Ukrainians are increasingly looking not for temporary security, but for a legally formalized future.
It is interesting that according to the results of the first six months of 2025, France, Spain and Italy surpassed Germany in the number of new applications for refugee status from Ukrainians. This changes the perception of the traditional migration geography of the Ukrainian community in the EU and indicates regional differences in the level of trust in national protection systems.
The demand for refugee status is accompanied by another phenomenon — administrative burden. In general, in the EU, as of mid-2025, about 928,000 applications are awaiting a first decision, and, taking into account appeals, more than 1.3 million cases. In France, this pressure is particularly felt: the number of planned interviews is increasing, the terms of consideration are being extended, and cases of administrative delay are becoming more frequent.
At the same time, social services are forced to adapt to a new reality: to provide support not to temporary beneficiaries, but to people who expect to stay for a long time. This applies to housing programs, medical services, and language integration.
The French legal community is increasingly paying attention to the fact that official policy does not always keep pace with demographic and social dynamics. Some of the refugee status provisions of the 2022 model no longer meet the demands of 2025, especially in the context of Ukraine, where the war has entered a protracted phase and the prospects for the return of millions of people remain uncertain.
Advice to Ukrainian refugees
- Do not delay in contacting OFPRA if you intend to stay in France beyond the framework of temporary protection.
- Collect individual evidence of the risks of returning to Ukraine — these can be personal circumstances, the situation in the region, medical or social factors.
- Do not rely exclusively on general news about the war: individualization of the situation is important in the refugee procedure.
- In the event of a delay in the procedure or a formal refusal, contact a lawyer and use the right to appeal.
Changing the status from temporary protection to refugee status is a legitimate step within European law. It is available to everyone who has reasons — and wants not just to survive, but to build a life in new conditions. In those cases where temporary protection is insufficient – due to the housing situation, personal risks or limitations in access to permanent employment – submitting an application for refugee status realizes the legal right to international protection under a procedure recognized in France and the EU.
