Main area: Migration
Theme: Activities involving return and reintegration programmes
Assessment: ODA-eligible
Provider country: France
Recipient country: Various
Implementing agency: Office français de l'immigration et de l'intégration (OFII)
Budget: N/A
Year(s): 2022
Purpose code: 15190
Case number: Migration / 11
Reintegration support
The French Office for Immigration and Integration (OFII) is the main operator of the General Directorate for Foreigners in France (DGEF), which designs and manages immigration and integration policies in France. Among its various missions, the OFII is in charge of participating in all administrative, health and social actions related to the return and reintegration of foreigners in their country of origin.
The OFII has a system of reintegration assistance (which may be complementary to or independent of the assistance for voluntary return) in the country of origin, by offering services to help with installation, job search or business creation. This assistance is aimed at nationals of 28 countries, 27 of which are on the DAC List of ODA Recipients (Afghanistan, Armenia, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo Brazzaville, Congo DRC, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Iraq, Georgia, Guinea Conakry, Kosovo, Haiti, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Pakistan, Somalia, Togo and Tunisia).
This assistance is granted in particular to foreign nationals arriving at the end of their legal stay or voluntarily withdrawing from asylum and wishing to return freely to their country of origin (these persons have not received an Obligation to Leave the French Territory – OQTF). In detail:
In terms of social reintegration (level 1): reintegration assistance includes the payment of initial rent, the purchase of furniture and household appliances, the payment of medical expenses or schooling for children as well as legal support, psychological follow-up and even assistance at the airport for vulnerable persons.
In terms of employment and vocational training (level 2): reintegration assistance supports the applicant in his or her search for a job, but can also finance part of the vocational training or provide a salary supplement.
In terms of business creation (level 3): reintegration assistance provides financial support and assistance in creating a business. The project must be validated by a selection committee.
In 2021, 1 596 grants were awarded to 1 326 beneficiaries. In detail, this includes 483 social aids (level 1), 91 employment aids (level 2) and 1 022 business creation aids (level 3). The average amount of aid for business creation is EUR 3 703. These are mainly agricultural enterprises (41%) or small businesses (30%).
This activity is deemed ODA-eligible. Reintegration activities undertaken in countries of origin are in principle ODA-eligible, see Criterion 6 and Figure 1. For support that targets exclusively returnees from the provider country as is the case here, the criterion requires further justification which can be considered provided: all three levels of funded activities are clearly developmental; support does not seem to primarily aim to address the donor’s domestic migration concerns (in particular as it targets returnees that have not received an OQTF).
This work was approved and declassified by the Development Assistance Committee’s Working Party on Development Finance Statistics.
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