The Calais "Jungle" was a notorious, large-scale informal refugee and migrant camp near Calais, France, that existed prominently between 2015 and 2016. Situated near the port and Channel Tunnel, it became a symbol of Europe's migration crisis, holding over 8,000 residents from countries like Sudan, Eritrea, and Afghanistan aiming to reach the UK.
From 2000 onwards, the name "jungle" has been used by migrants to describe many encampments and shanty towns around Calais. The use of the word to describe encampments is thought to derive from the Pashto word "dzjangal" which means a forest or wood.
Today, the Jungle has gone, but the migrants remain – a report from Human Rights Watch, using data from local charities, estimates there are still about 2,000 migrants “in wooded areas, in and around disused warehouses, and under bridges in and around Calais”, including about 300 unaccompanied children.
During this time, informal camps of migrants have formed, the most notorious commonly referred to as the Calais Jungle. Other migrants come to the area because they are homeless while seeking asylum in France.
According to the Decree of 21 October 2015 relating to the ADA, the amount of the allowance depends on the family composition of the applicant. For example, a single adult asylum seeker is entitled to 6.80€ per day.
Housing. In principle, asylum-seekers have the right to housing. That means each person who has filed a request for asylum in France should be housed by the OFII (Office francais de l'immigration et de l'integration), the same organization that provides your allowance.
What country in Europe takes the most asylum seekers?
The table and chart below use Home Office statistics. These figures include dependants. In 2021 the UK was 4th in Europe in terms of the number of first-time asylum applications. Germany had the highest figure.
Seine-Saint-Denis (French pronunciation: [sɛn sɛ̃ d(ə)ni]) is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the Île-de-France region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as quatre-vingt treize or neuf trois ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93.
Which country in Europe has the most illegal immigration?
Since the years 1970s–1980s, the European continent has been increasingly targeted by waves of unauthorized immigrants from Africa, the Middle East, and other regions of the world, primarily affecting the countries of Southern Europe (such as Spain, Italy, Greece, and Malta).
There are about 700 displaced people in Calais, mainly from Sudan, Syria and Eritrea. They are not permitted to put up tents and the police in the seaside city carry out evictions of the camps three times a week.
French Asylum Court Grants Refugee Status to West-Bank Palestinian, Citing 'Generalised Violence' France's National Court of Asylum (CNDA) issued a landmark judgment on 8 December—reported by Le Monde on 12 December—that could reshape how Palestinian applicants are treated under French and EU asylum rules.
The Court of Cassation ruled in a judgment of 13 January 2011 that refugees can benefit retroactively from all benefits and other social welfare from the date of their arrival in France. [1] This is linked to the declaratory nature of refugee status, which does not exist for beneficiaries of subsidiary protection.
They do and France actually receives a much larger number of asylum claims than Britain – around 167,000 in 2023, compared to 67,000 in the UK. Those who arrive in France often choose to remain there and a relatively small proportion of the asylum seekers intend on moving on to the UK.
Venezuelan refugee crisis. The ongoing emigration of millions of Venezuelans from their native country is the largest recorded refugee crisis in the Americas.
The most renowned specialties are andouillette de Cambrai, Maroilles tart, chicory gratin, carbonade flamande, anguille au vert à la Flamande (eel cooked with herbs), coq à la bière, endive and ham gratin, hochepot, Boulogne-style mackerel.
Do more immigrants in France come from Portugal or Morocco?
Nevertheless, the slow pace of the history of migrations, and that of the colonial empire, are still leaving their mark on statistical data: 49% of immigrants living in France come from seven countries: Algeria (12.7%), Morocco (12%), Portugal (8.6%), Tunisia (4.5%), Italy (4.1%), Turkey (3.6%), Spain (3.5%).
While countries like Turkey and Azerbaijan have very high percentages, Russia has the largest total number of Muslims in Europe, followed by France, then Germany, with millions residing in each, although the percentage of Muslims relative to the total population is highest in countries like Kosovo, Albania, and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
In 2023, around 1.3 million non-EU citizens were found to be illegally present in the EU. This is an increase of 13% compared with 2022. Among the EU countries, the largest number of illegally present people was found in Germany (264 000 or 21% of the EU total), Italy (195 000 or 15%) and Hungary (160 000 or 13%).
But do people seeking asylum get this free housing forever? No. When someone gets refugee status, they can no longer stay in asylum accommodation. They can choose where to live, but they have to pay for their rent or ask for government help – like any UK citizen.
In 2005 France's domestic intelligence network, the Renseignements Generaux, identified 150 "no-go zones" around the country where police would not enter without reinforcements. Christopher Dickey, writing in Newsweek, said the situation had arisen due to racism towards immigrants.
There is no evidence of a UK-wide scheme to provide free public transport to asylum seekers. The Scottish government, in its 2025-26 budget, says it will reintroduce free bus travel for asylum seekers , opens new tab.
