legal and social conditions for asylum seekers and refugees in ...

Unaccompanied minors
Apart from the “waiting allowance” of FRF 700 [EUR 106,7] granted upon arrival, unaccompanied
minors are not entitled to any further allowances or financial assistance.
Health/Sickness
Asylum seekers accommodated in CADAs undergo a compulsory medical examination (general
check up, vaccinations and tests for parasitic and contagious diseases). The centre's medical
staff carry out preventive measures, with special attention to protecting mothers and children.
Some CADAs also provide psychological counselling.
Like French nationals, asylum seekers have access to the national health system. Provided they
hold a provisional residence permit valid for at least three months, they are entitled to the same
benefits as nationals on low incomes in terms of state medical aid, which covers all medical
expenses.
Free medical aid, provided by hospital services, is available to asylum seekers who have just
been admitted to the procedure and hold only the first provisional one-month residence permit, to
applicants processed under the “Dublin procedure”, and to any foreigner without a residence
permit (including rejected asylum seekers or persons applying for “territorial asylum”).
However, since in practice effective access to state medical aid is a lengthy and complex
process, specialised non-governmental agencies – partly subsidised by the Government –
provide a free service for all foreigners in need of medical care.
Starting from 1 January 2000, a so-called “universal medical coverage” (“Couverture médicale
universelle” – CMU) has been created in order to ease access to health services. The CMU
coverage provides for any person residing on a regular basis on the French territory a right to
medical basic insurance and provides a 100% coverage of medical expenses for low income
segments of the population only, i.e. under FRF 3,500 [EUR 533.5] per month. Since the text
establishing the CMU does not mention asylum seekers, it is not clear yet whether or not this new
system will have an impact on their situation.
Freedom of movement
There are no restrictions on the freedom of movement of asylum seekers, whether they are
accommodated in reception centres or not.
The Dublin Convention
There is no special arrangement for asylum seekers processed under the provisions of the Dublin
Convention who find themselves in a very unstable social situation without any access to
accommodation centres and no allowance at all.
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