100,000 try to get asylum in France, but most are rejected

Migrants face increasingly long queues to apply for asylum in France
Migrants face increasingly long queues to apply for asylum in France
THIBAULT CAMUS/AP

More than 100,000 people applied for asylum in France last year, the highest number in four decades, but 64 per cent of the requests were denied.

The 17 per cent jump in applications emerged as President Macron’s government has been criticised by the left and some of its own MPs over its plans to curb immigration and expel more unwanted migrants.

Albanians topped the list, accounting for 6,600 of the total of 100,412 applicants last year. Only 6 per cent were granted protection because the migrants are presumed to be economic in nature.

In contrast, the acceptance rate was 95 per cent for Syrians, 85 per cent for Afghans and 59 per cent for Sudanese. The overall acceptance rate (36 per cent) was two points