The French government said on Wednesday it would create 11,000 places to house refugees and asylum seekers as the number of people living in illegal migrant camps swells, reports Reuters.
Such camps have grown rapidly in France as Europe has struggled to cope with an influx of migrants this year streaming in through Greece and Italy.
In addition to increasing available accommodation, France's socialist government said it also aimed to cut the time required to handle asylum requests to nine months from two years.
But interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve said there was no question of backsliding on illegal immigrants motivated by economic reasons, who he said would be sent back "without taboo".
The government said the new housing for asylum seekers and political refugees would be concentrated in the Paris region and Calais in northern France.
Authorities in the capital have recently torn down several illegal camps that have sprung up while migrants trying to reach Britain have clashed with police at camps near Calais.