In France, the multiple blockages of foreign students who fled Ukraine

The way in which France applies European temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine leaves out some of them: students of foreign nationality. The latter find themselves in an uncertain, even irregular administrative situation. As for their desire to resume studies, the time is also blocking. “I asked the town hall of Nancy to help me continue my studies here, to find me accommodation, a temporary residence permit to be able to do so. They told me that the European system is only for Ukrainians”, testifies Moustapha, 24, a former medical student in Kharkiv who has just arrived in France. The young man is from Guinea Conakry. “I showed them my Ukrainian residence permit, which proved that I had been living in Ukraine for a year, but they told me that I was not concerned.” Mustapha is far from the only student of foreign nationality displaced of Ukraine in this situation. Since March 4, the European Union has granted temporary protection to people who fled the war in Ukraine. In France, this takes the form of the granting of a temporary residence permit (APS) for six months, renewable for three years. This APS, in addition to regularizing the presence on French territory, opens up access to unprecedented rights, including the possibility of working and obtaining health coverage without delay. >> Read also: Europeans grant unprecedented temporary protection to refugees from UkraineIt is issued to Ukrainians, as well as to foreign nationals who are permanent residents of Ukraine. Remain on the bench, foreigners residing in Ukraine but not having a long-term residence permit. In the first place: students. A European directive “left to be assessed on a case-by-case basis” The decision of the Council of the EU of March 4 sets a condition for the application of temporary protection to foreign residents in Ukraine: l impossibility of “return in safe and lasting conditions” to their country of origin.” This notion, which has not been clearly defined, is left to the prefectures’ case-by-case appreciation, which raises fears of a unequal treatment of situations from one department to another”, explains the French Coordination of the Right of Asylum (a group of associations) in a press release. In the reception center opened in early March Porte de Versailles, in Paris, the Paris police headquarters has a counter to issue APS. “The overwhelming majority of people who come to us have Ukrainian passports. For those who don’t, the situation is complex… In this case, we study what they tell us, and depending on their situation, they are issued an APS for a period of one month” (compared to six months renewable for temporary protection), a representative of the prefecture explains to InfoMigrants. “Among the worst students in the EU”In practice , therefore, some foreign students can access one-month APS; but others don’t. Enough to raise misunderstandings. “Some of my friends who were students like me got it, but I couldn’t say anything. I’m going to look elsewhere, maybe in other cities it will be better”, slips Moustapha. not given clear directives, deplores the Cimade. “It is the interpretation of the French Ministry of the Interior which says that these students are not in temporary protection” criticizes Gérard Sadik, asylum manager of the NGO. This interpretation is detailed in an interministerial instruction to the prefects of the 10 March. Others, among our European neighbours, have made a more flexible choice. “We are really among the worst students in the EU. Spain, for example, has opened up to everyone”, underlines the head of Cimade. Refusal of entry at the borders Another consequence of this restrictive interpretation: first alerts on blockages at the borders of France. The head of Cimade claims to have heard of refusals of entry of foreign students from Ukraine. “We told them: ‘You don’t have the Ukrainian biometric passport, so it’s a no.’ >> To read also: In Poland, African students fleeing Ukraine locked up in detention centers Contacted on this specific subject, as well as on the general policy vis-à-vis foreign students from Ukraine, the Ministry of The Interior did not answer our questions. On the other hand, it sent us the procedure to follow for students of Ukrainian nationality, beneficiaries of temporary protection. The latter can try to resume their studies, by “contacting the Campus France agency at the following address: [email protected]”. turns out to be an impossible mission. Beyond their administrative status at best precarious (for those who are lucky enough to obtain a one-month APS), at worst irregular, higher education institutions are blocking. Saint-Denis (Seine-Saint-Denis), at least 150 applications from students exiled from Ukraine wishing to enroll would have been received. “This is what the management of the university communicated to us, but this figure is undoubtedly even larger. Even today, I met four new students in this situation. These requests will still flow”, describes Alexis Taïeb, activist with the student collective Le Poing Levé de Paris 8. Among these 150 files, the overwhelming majority come from students of foreign nationality who have fled Ukraine. Ukrainians or not, none of these students have been able to enroll at this time. “I tried to re-enroll at university, but it refused me and was forced to tell me that I had to wait,” says Youssef*, a former student in Odessa, whose testimony was Collected by Le Poing Levé and published on the information site Révolution Permanente. Reasons invoked? “We were told that the university did not have the material capacity to accommodate them… But also that the year was almost over and that it would make little sense. Above all, the management believes that the problem is national, and has not received instructions from the ministry”, reports Alexis Taïeb. Contacted on this subject, the Ministry of Higher Education has not, for the time being, answered our questions.>> To (re)read: War in Ukraine: African countries are organizing to repatriate their nationalsBefore the start of the conflict, Ukraine had 76,500 foreign students, the majority from India, and 20% from African countries. For Nigeria, for example, about 8,000 nationals were in Ukraine, including 5,600 students, according to the Nigerian authorities. *The first name has been changed by the authors of the initial article to respect the anonymity of the interlocutor.