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Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.

Factsheet for measure FR-2022-14/2364 Updated – measures in France

Work permit for Ukrainian refugees

Autorisation de travail pour les réfugiés ukrainiens

Country France , applies nationwide
Time period Open ended, started on 01 April 2022
Context War in Ukraine
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Promoting the economic, labour market and social recovery into a green future
– Active labour market policies (enhancing employability, training, subsidised job creation, etc.)
Author Frédéric Turlan (IRshare) and Eurofound
Measure added 20 May 2022 (updated 28 February 2023)

Background information

A decree of 1 April urgently simplifies the terms of the work permit granted to beneficiaries of temporary protection. Ukrainian nationals eligible for temporary protection are issued with a temporary residence permit for a period of six months, marked "beneficiary of temporary protection", as provided for in Articles L. 581-1 et seq. of the Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers et du droit d’asile. (Code on the Entry and Residence of Foreigners and the Right of Asylum).

Content of measure

This scheme already gave entitlement to the asylum seeker's allowance, access to healthcare and support in accessing accommodation, but was not directly accompanied by a temporary work permit, as this would have to be applied for independently from the foreign labour services (Ceseda, Art. R. 581-6 repealed). In order to simplify the procedures and access to work for the persons concerned, the decree therefore merges, as of 2 April, the work permit with the temporary residence document granted to them. In other words, the issue of their residence permit automatically gives them the "right to exercise a professional activity" (Ceseda, Art. R. 581-4 modified).

Updates

The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.

30 December 2022

According the daily Le Monde, about 106,000 Ukrainian refugees are living in France by the end of 2022, but only 3,500 are active on the labour market (see article in source box).

Use of measure

No information.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Migrants or refugees in employment
Applies to all businesses Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
No special funding required

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role Consulted Consulted
Form Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies Consultation through tripartite or bipartite social dialogue bodies

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • No involvement
  • Main level of involvement: Peak or cross-sectoral level

Involvement

The draft decree (published on 1 April) has been sent for consultation to the National Commission for Collective Bargaining, Employment and Vocational Training (Commission nationale de la négociation collective, de l’emploi et de la formation professionnelle - CNNCEFP) where seat national representative social partners.

Views and reactions

No specific position. The measure is supported by social partners. For example, to show the positive reception of this measure by the trade unions, the CFDT intervened so that the procedure for beneficiaries of temporary protection to obtain a work permit would be simplified so that employers would be able to recruit Ukrainians under temporary protection without prior authorisation (in the same way as refugees).

Sources

  • 11 March 2022: Instruction relative à la mise en œuvre de la décision du Conseil de l'Union européenne du 5 mars 2022, prise en application de l'article 5 de la directive 2001/55/CE du Conseil du 20 juillet 2001 (www.legifrance.gouv.fr)
  • 01 April 2022: Décret n° 2022-468 du 1er avril 2022 relatif au droit au travail des bénéficiaires d'une protection temporaire (www.legifrance.gouv.fr)
  • 30 December 2022: La difficile quête d’autonomie des plus de 100 000 réfugiés ukrainiens en France (www.lemonde.fr)

Citation

Eurofound (2022), Work permit for Ukrainian refugees, measure FR-2022-14/2364 (measures in France), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/FR-2022-14_2364.html

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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.