Rights violations and notches to the principles that underpin French society are multiplying, especially for foreigners, worries the defender of Rights in her annual report published Monday, April 17.
The rights of foreigners in France are deteriorating and the number of referrals explodes in three years. This is the first reason for referral to the Defender of Rights in 2022, underlines the Defender of Rights in a 2022 annual report published on Monday. From more than 6,000 in 2019, the number of complaints rose to nearly 22,000 in 2022, an increase of 231%. This increase is even 450% in Île-de-France.
The main reason, according to the independent authority headed by Claire Hédon, responsible in particular for defending citizens against the administration, is the dematerialization of procedures, according to the report. Online appointment booking, online residence permit renewal, online naturalization applications.
Painful online procedures
Today, everything goes through the internet. With sometimes technical malfunctions, very long response times. ” All this violates the rights of foreigners said the human rights defender. Because, without an answer for a renewal of a residence permit, for example, it is no longer possible to have a job or to benefit from certain social rights. With all the consequences that this entails in terms of precariousness.
An observation that Lise Faron of La Cimade, an association that works for the rights of foreigners and refugees, also draws up. “ Gradually, the prefectures are closing their doors to foreignersshe points out. Today, you can no longer access the interior of a prefecture without having previously taken an online procedure. So, it can be a question of making an appointment by internet. More and more often, it is a question of submitting an application online by scanning all its documents and the people who have to do their steps are really left to their own devices in terms of support..”
“ Postponement of missions »
“ You can no longer access a counter agent who will advise you on the process. As a result, the consequences are that people will have to turn to associations, to lawyers, to social workers, etc. We are really in a dynamic of deferring the missions of the prefectures to other actors, in particular actors from the private sector, such as associations “says Lise Faron again.
The Defender of Rights supports foreigners in amicable settlements or before administrative courts when there is a dispute. And these procedures initiated allow, three quarters of the time, to restore foreigners in their rights.
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