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The Portuguese are lagging behind for the first time since the 1960s and the French have taken overPicture credit: Flickr/bvi4092 

Around 3,900 French, compared to 2,400 Portuguese nationals came to live in Luxembourg in 2017, said foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn and minister for integration Corinne Cahen at a press conference on Tuesday 16 January.

The Portuguese represent the biggest minority at 96,800, followed by the French (44,300), Italians (21,300), Belgians (20,000) and Germans (13,100).

Asylum seekers: stable numbers

In 2017, the ministry received 2,322 applications for refugee status, some 300 more than the previous year. The biggest number come from Syria (15.8%), followed by Morocco and Algeria.

Housing for refugees a problem

Recognised refugees are increasingly still staying at the housing structures provided by Olai, the integration office, because they have difficulty finding appropriate housing on their own. Cahen explained that many refugees stay in these housing structures for increasingly longer periods of time. Cahen also stated that they were recruiting more personnel, especially social workers).