The French government has published Decree No 2026-635 in the Official Journal of 18 July 2026, overhauling the way asylum claims are litigated both at France’s external borders and before the National Asylum Court (CNDA). The text shortens several procedural deadlines, requires appellants to file in-depth written submissions earlier in the process and allows the CNDA to use videoconference hearings more broadly. According to the Interior Ministry, the aim is to reduce a backlog that exceeded 53,000 cases at mid-2026 and to ensure that manifestly unfounded appeals are resolved within six weeks. For cases lodged at border crossing points—including Charles-de-Gaulle airport and the Channel ports—the decree clarifies the powers of border police to refuse entry after an accelerated interview if the applicant cannot demonstrate a well-founded fear of persecution. A new 48-hour time-limit is introduced for appealing such refusals, down from the previous 72 hours. Legal aid remains available, but lawyers’ requests for adjournment will now be granted only in “exceptional circumstances,” a move likely to generate controversy among human-rights NGOs. Inside mainland France, the CNDA gains authority to group together similar appeals from the same country of origin, issue single rulings and publish them as precedents. The Conseil d’État, which vetted the draft, argues that the measure will deliver “greater legal certainty” for both applicants and employers who rely on timely work-authorisation decisions. Businesses—particularly in agriculture and construction—have complained that delayed asylum outcomes distort seasonal-worker planning because rejected applicants lose the right to work. For corporate mobility managers the decree’s practical impact will be two-fold. First, faster adjudication should make it easier to predict whether a transferee hired under France’s asylum-seeker work-permit scheme will still be employable after six months. Second, stricter border screening raises the risk that staff arriving from conflict zones—such as contractors or journalists—could be refused entry if documents are incomplete. Employers are therefore advised to review support procedures and ensure that any humanitarian-visa requests are filed well in advance. The decree enters into force on 1 August 2026, giving stakeholders less than two weeks to adapt internal workflows and legal manuals. The Interior Ministry plans to publish an implementation circular “in the coming days,” but has already scheduled information webinars for relocation firms and NGOs on 25 and 29 July.
