French Senate backs bill to support integration of Ukrainian IDPs

The bill was initiated by Senator Nadia Sologub-Tollenaz, who heads the France-Ukraine friendship group in the Senate, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

“My bill was unanimously passed by the Senate, and I would like to thank everyone who helped me. Now I hope it will be quickly considered by the National Assembly so that the beneficiaries of temporary protection can be better integrated during their stay in France,” the senator wrote on Facebook.

The document gives people under temporary protection access to social benefits that were previously unavailable. These include assistance for adults with disabilities and financial assistance for elderly people with low incomes.

Access to the labor market for medical professionals with non-EU diplomas is also simplified. The draft law proposes to exempt Ukrainian healthcare workers from restrictions on the number of seats in special exams. Upon successful completion, they will be able to integrate into the French healthcare system.

The law is intended to address the problem of a significant increase in the number of applications for refugee status submitted by Ukrainians. According to the senators, they turn to this procedure precisely because of the lack of social guarantees under temporary protection. In 2024 alone, 12 thousand Ukrainian citizens applied for refugee status. This is almost four times more than in 2022-2023.

According to official data, as of the end of 2024, 56,314 Ukrainians had valid residence permits in France under the temporary protection regime. This number has decreased significantly due to the fact that a significant number of temporary protection beneficiaries have decided to move to refugee status, which entitles them to stay in the country for 10 years (resident card), while temporary protection must be renewed every 6 months.

As Ukrinform reported, the French Senate overwhelmingly supported the security agreement with Ukraine.