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

Access to the adult education system
There is no specific provisions concerning the access of Kosovo Albanians to the adult education
system. However, since they are allowed to work, they are allowed to participate in vocational
training programmes.
Language tuition
Specific French language classes are organised in some accommodation centres. In other
centres, they are integrated in mainstream language classes.
School attendance
School attendance is compulsory until the age of 16 for all children in France. Foreign children
attend the same schools as the French children. Special “adaptation classes” for migrants and
refugees are sometimes specially organised within schools by the Ministry of Education.
Mother tongue tuition
No mother tongue tuition is provided
Unaccompanied minors
No specific provision.
Repatriation
The assistance granted to voluntary repatriation is defined in the circular of 14 September 1992,
which provides mainly for the payment of the travel costs and 40kg of luggage overweight.
A specific repatriation programme for persons from Kosovo has been established by a circular of
21 July 1999 issued by the Ministry for Social Affairs. According to this circular, the Office for
International Migrations is entrusted with the task of organising, in liaison with the International
Organization for Migration (IOM), repatriation trips on a voluntary and collective basis from
French airports to Skopje in Macedonia. No individual departure is admitted under this
programme.
Two types of trips are offered:
– collective “go-and-see visits” for heads of family and for a maximum period of 15 days. A
limited financial support of FRF 600 [EUR 91.4] is granted. Between August and October
1999, 741 persons took part in these “go and see visits”.
– definitive collective returns, which include a one way ticket plus FRF 3,000 [EUR 457.3] per
adult and FRF 1,000 [EUR 152.4] per child. By 8 October 1999, the number of persons having
returned definitely to Kosovo under this programme was 2,236 (including 1,301 adults and 935
children).
Family reunification
Following the end of UNHCR Evacuation Programme, the number of cases of family reunification
with persons from Kosovo has decreased strongly and, at the same time, the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs has become more strict in examining such applications. Kosovo Albanians are not legally
entitled to family reunification, but they can lodge an application for reunification with members of
the close family (parents, children, spouses) or the extended family. The requests are examined
on a case-by-case basis. As the decision is discretionary, the condition of 1-year residence (since
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France