Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine in 2022, the European Union has granted temporary protection to people displaced by the conflict, creating a legal framework that differs significantly from conventional asylum procedures.
Initially activated under Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/382, temporary protection has been successively extended and currently remains in force until March 2027. Beneficiaries enjoy residence rights, access to employment, education, healthcare, and social assistance, while maintaining the possibility of travelling between the European Union and Ukraine.
In many receiving countries, policies toward Ukrainian refugees have implicitly embraced a transnational perspective. Rather than assuming a one-way process of integration into the host society, this approach recognizes that displaced people may continue to maintain strong social, emotional, and economic ties with their country of origin.
Ukrainian Refugees in France
By the end of 2024, France hosted more than 114,000 Ukrainians under temporary protection or other forms of international protection. Despite its demographic and economic weight within the European Union, France remains among the countries hosting the lowest number of Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection relative to its population.
This situation reflects less a lack of solidarity than the migration strategies of Ukrainians themselves. Many sought refuge in neighbouring countries or in states where established Ukrainian communities already existed. Before the war, the Ukrainian population in France remained relatively modest, estimated at around 17,000 people.
Nevertheless, French society demonstrated remarkable solidarity. Local authorities, prefectures, associations, humanitarian organizations and private citizens mobilized rapidly to provide accommodation, administrative support and emergency assistance. This response was particularly significant given that most arrivals were women accompanied by children.
A Distinct Legal Status
The situation of Ukrainians differs substantially from that of traditional asylum seekers.
Under French law, asylum seekers generally face restrictions on access to employment during the first months of their application procedure. Beneficiaries of temporary protection, by contrast, obtain immediate access to the labour market.
This exceptional status was activated for the first time in the history of the European Union in order to avoid overwhelming national asylum systems in the face of a massive displacement crisis.
However, temporary protection also has its limitations. Beneficiaries do not automatically enjoy access to all social benefits available to long-term residents, and their legal status remains temporary by definition. Residence permits must be periodically renewed and depend on political decisions taken at the European level.
This creates a paradoxical situation: Ukrainian refugees enjoy rights that are often broader and more immediate than those available to asylum seekers, while simultaneously facing uncertainty regarding their long-term future.
Desire to Return Home—or Growing Uncertainty?
According to surveys conducted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), a majority of Ukrainian refugees continue to express the desire to return home one day.
Yet this aspiration has become increasingly uncertain as the war continues. Many refugees who initially expected a short displacement now find themselves facing a prolonged period of exile.
Security concerns remain the primary obstacle to return. Refugees also cite the destruction of housing, limited economic opportunities, and uncertainty about future living conditions in Ukraine.
At the same time, short visits to Ukraine have become more frequent. Many refugees travel back temporarily to visit relatives, assess the condition of their homes, or maintain family and social ties.
Changing Needs Over Time
When Ukrainian refugees first arrived in France, their most urgent needs were housing, food, and immediate material support.
As time passed, priorities evolved. Access to healthcare, education, language training, and employment became increasingly important.
Labour market integration remains a major challenge. Although many Ukrainians possess university degrees and professional qualifications, diploma recognition procedures are often lengthy and complex. As a result, highly qualified individuals may find themselves employed below their skill level.
Many Ukrainian women work in home care, hospitality, retail, translation, or service occupations. The situation is particularly difficult for professionals such as doctors, lawyers, engineers, or teachers whose qualifications are not easily transferable.
Like many migrant groups before them, Ukrainians frequently encounter the reality of occupational downgrading despite their educational background.
The Rise of Asylum Applications
In recent years, asylum applications submitted by Ukrainian nationals in France have increased significantly.
This trend may reflect several factors. Some refugees seek greater long-term stability than temporary protection can provide. Others may fear that temporary protection will eventually end while conditions for return remain unsafe.
The increase in asylum applications highlights a broader dilemma at the heart of the current system. Temporary protection was designed as an emergency response to mass displacement, not as a permanent migration framework. Yet as the war continues, the distinction between temporary refuge and long-term settlement becomes increasingly blurred.
A Privileged Reception?
The reception of Ukrainians has often been contrasted with that of other refugee groups arriving in Europe.
Political support, extensive media coverage, and widespread public sympathy generated an unprecedented wave of solidarity during the first years of the conflict.
However, a favourable legal framework does not automatically translate into successful integration.
Language barriers, limited professional networks, childcare responsibilities, and the psychological consequences of war continue to affect many refugees. For women raising children alone, these challenges are particularly significant.
Moreover, the temporary nature of their legal status may discourage both public institutions and private employers from investing in long-term integration pathways.
What initially appears to be a privileged position can therefore become a source of vulnerability. Unlike migrants or refugees who have a clearer perspective on long-term settlement, many Ukrainians remain suspended between two futures: rebuilding their lives in France or eventually returning to Ukraine.
Between Protection and Uncertainty
The experience of Ukrainian refugees illustrates both the strengths and limitations of temporary protection.
The system has provided rapid access to safety, employment, education, and social rights. At the same time, its provisional nature creates uncertainty for individuals attempting to rebuild their lives while remaining emotionally and practically connected to their country of origin.
More than three years after the beginning of the war, many Ukrainian refugees continue to live between two worlds: protected, but not fully settled; integrated, yet uncertain about what the future may hold.
Further Reading
- Čabrilo Blagojević, Ljiljana (2025). Ukrainian Refugees in France: Integration Challenges and Policy Ambiguities. Ukrainian Policymaker, Vol. 16.
- UNHCR. Lives on Hold: Intentions and Perspectives of Ukrainian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons.
- European Commission. Temporary Protection for People Fleeing Ukraine.
- OECD (2024). What We Know About the Skills and Labour Market Integration of Ukrainian Refugees in OECD Countries.
Suggested citation
Čabrilo Blagojević, Ljiljana (2026). Ukrainian Refugees in France: Between Temporary Protection and Uncertain Integration. IMIGRA – Institut pour l’étude des migrations, de la diaspora et de l’exil. Available at: www.imigra.fr