Four years ago France joined other European countries in welcoming tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war, under a European Union temporary protection scheme. Now this framework is being phased out, leaving the 40,000 Ukrainians still in the country facing an uncertain future.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, 2022, France and other European countries moved quickly to organise emergency support for the tens of thousands of Ukrainians fleeing their country.
As of January this year, France has recorded the arrival of more than 79,000 Ukrainian refugees since 2022.
While most arrived in the Paris region, many headed south to the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, particularly around Nice, where there was an existing sizeable Ukrainian community.
The AFUCA Ukrainian cultural association in Nice, which was founded in 2016, became a central point of support, helping new arrivals look for work, navigate administrative procedures and fill out paperwork.
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Four years on, it continues to help around 100 new arrivals each month, as well as those who are already in France and hoping to stay, such as Karina Youdenkova.
Youdenkova, 23, left Kyiv after an explosion blew in the windows of her flat. Her father was killed on the front.
When she arrived in France, she lived first in emergency accommodation then in a hotel before she found a job in a café, which has allowed her to rent her own flat
“I see my life in France. I don’t see a future for myself in Ukraine,” she explains. She is considering enrolling at university.
One major obstacle for her is obtaining a driving licence. She says she was unable to register for the test because she is in France under the temporary protection scheme. She would like to obtain a more stable status so she can continue building her life in France.
Phasing out protection
In 2022, the European Union activated its Temporary Protection Directive for Ukrainians.
First implemented in 2001 following the conflicts in former Yugoslavia, its aim is to "provide immediate and temporary protection in the event of a mass influx of displaced persons from non-EU countries".
The scheme granted Ukrainians residency and work authorisation, a small living stipend and health coverage.
While many people have since returned to Ukraine, according to the French Interior Ministry there were 40,850 people still living in France under this status at the beginning of 2026.
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However, the scheme is due to expire in March 2027, and French authorities have begun winding down services specifically dedicated to Ukrainians.
In Nice, the main hub that that provided temporary accommodation and guidance to new arrivals closed in August 2024. The area's last accommodation programme reserved for Ukrainians shut down at the end of 2025. Ukrainian refugees now must find housing in the same way as any other vulnerable group.
“The only reception now is with us,” says AFUCA founder, Iryna Bourdelles.
For Ukrainians intending to remain in France, obtaining a more permanent legal status is pressing.
Some are eligible for standard residence permits. Others are applying for asylum, which offers more durable protection, but may not be suitable for those who hope to return to Ukraine one day. In 2025, 12,310 Ukrainians applied for asylum in France, according to Ofpra, the French office for the protection of refugees.
Moving away from emergency measures is understandable, says Bourdelles, as the war enters its fifth year. “I’m not saying the state is abandoning us, but Ukraine is no longer among the priorities. And that’s normal, it’s been four years."
Complex needs
The transition brings uncertainty for those still in France, who have needs that include help with administrative tasks, looking for jobs and learning French – as well as psychological support for the trauma they have experienced.
“The profiles of those who have stayed in France often involve complex issues,” says Audrey Terradura, director of emergency and crisis management for ALC, an organisation that played a key role in the emergency response in Nice in 2022.
“There are elderly people, seriously ill individuals, families with disabled children, for whom access to employment and independent housing is more difficult.”
As war drags on, France seeks long-term solutions for Ukrainian refugees
With support from charity Secours Catholique, the AFUCA distributes food parcels twice a week to around 70 Ukrainians each month.
Tetyana, who arrived in France a year and a half ago, hoped to be able to find work and send money to her daughter, who stayed in Ukraine with her husband who is fighting at the front.
When she first arrived she lived with another of her daughters, but since last summer she has had to cover her own rent and is struggling to make ends meet. “I would really like to work. I’ve worked all my life, but there is always an obstacle,” she says.
She lost her most recent job as a seamstress when the alterations shop ran into financial difficulties. She has since applied to work in home care, but for now relies on the food parcels to get by.
Natalia, who worked as a civil servant in the Ukraine’s Chernihiv region before fleeing in 2024 with her 13-year-old son, works as a hotel cleaner in Nice. She rents a small room from her employer.
“I’m grateful, because in September 2024 I thought I was going to end up on the streets,” she says. But she hopes for more stable housing.
She worries about the future, as she sees the prospect of returning to Ukraine receding as the war drags on.
This article was adapted from the original version in French by Aurore Lartigue.
