The Territorial Directorate of Grenoble: the drive of Savoie for the integration of beneficiaries of international protection
The Territorial Directorate of Grenoble covers four departments: Isère, Haute-Savoie, Savoie and Drôme. Besides its usual missions: family immigration, reception and integration of migrants, voluntary return assistance and reinsertion …, it aims at developing partnerships for beneficiaries of international protection including in Savoie, a particularly active department.
Several elements defines the territory of Savoie:
90% of the region is located in a mountainous area, an attractive environment for employment mainly in the service sector, the absence of any urban area outside of Chambéry. A significant number of beneficiaries of international protection, mostly men.
Significant integration mechanisms
Since 2017, Savoie has strengthened the reception and the support of beneficiaries of international protection and new procedures were introduced and evolved over time such as PAIRS and in a near future AGIR. The department of Savoie was indeed selected to deploy in its area the national programme “Accompagnement Global et Individualisé des Réfugiés” (Global and Individualised Support for Refugees).
Coordination of actors were established since 2019 to facilitate the social and professional integration and the autonomy of this group of people in Savoie.
The Territorial Directorate of OFII in Grenoble is a stakeholder and a key participant in the integration programme since they learn about the procedures, attend meetings, receives public and directs them if necessary towards programs such as PAIRS for example.
PAIRS programme which stands for Plateforme d’accompagnement pour l’intégration des réfugiés de Savoie (Support Platform for the Integration of Refugees in Savoie) supports, through a continuous programme, the beneficiaries of international protection aged over 16 years old, in professional integration initiatives, accessing to rights, finding accommodation and language training.
Within a period of 6 months renewable, PAIRS offers a comprehensive individualised and enhanced support with an angle on mobility, which is essential considering the geographic location of Savoie.
Orientation by OFII
In order to facilitate the travel of beneficiaries of international protection to the OFII to sign the Republican Integration Contract and to rebalance the number of signatories, the Territorial Directorate of the OFII in Grenoble put together Savoie and Haute-Savoie. In other words, since June 2021, “Savoyards” are directed towards the departmental delegation of Annecy and therefore no longer have to go to Grenoble to sign the Republican Integration Contract.
Each beneficiary of international protection is called to the half-day reception and integration event. During an individual interview conducted by one OFII auditor, if the signatory needs support for housing or to acquire or guarantee his rights, he can be directed towards the PAIRS programme. Similarly, during or towards the end of the language training programme.
In 2021, 185 beneficiaries of international protection in the department of Savoie signed the Republican Integration Contract. In 2019, before the health crisis, they were 130. 72% of them were directed towards language training including 400h programs essentially.
They represent more than 40% of signed contracts in Savoie. Most of them are single Afghan men between 26 and 45 years old. 90% of the people come from non-French-speaking countries.
Assets for Savoie and the beneficiaries of international protection
The importance of partnerships between integration associations and the State, the strengthened global support mechanisms dedicated to beneficiaries of international protection, and the favourable economic situation for a first job reinforce the dynamics and attractiveness of Savoie.
All the actors in the employment market agree on the advantages that present this group of individuals in terms of motivation, availability and desire for a quick professional integration. In that respect, their integration is a significant challenge for Savoie.
Comment on language:
Beneficiaries of international protection include refugees and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection.