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While the number of asylum applications in France has increased in recent years, they account for a declining share of total claims across the European Union, as France has been less concerned by recent inflows of asylum seekers than some of its European neighbours. Around one quarter of applicants are granted asylum in France, although the proportion ranges from 18% to 32% depending on the application year. More than a quarter of applicants are unsuccessful, but are ultimately admitted for residence on different grounds (education, family, employment), often many years later. Among asylum applicants in 2000, almost 60% had been admitted for residence by 31 December 2016, one third as refugees, stateless persons or beneficiaries of subsidiary protection, and slightly more than half for family reasons.