The number of migrants applying for refugee status in France climbed to 90,000 in 2016, the French national press reports. Most of those seeking official status will remain on French territory.
Although the Dublin Accord calls for refugees to apply for asylum in the first country of arrival in Europe, almost certainly either Greece or Italy, in practice fewer than nine out of ten refugees who present themselves for legalisation will stay in France.
While France is not necessarily the eventual destination of choice for asylum seekers in the European Union, with the UK, Scandinavia and Germany the favourites, legalisation in France enables refugees to travel on to other countries with a degree of legal recognition.
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