Arriving in France at 3, he was due to be deported to a Morocco he barely knows

The Moroccan national arrived in France on 31 October 2002, at the age of 3. He has lived there lawfully and continuously ever since. In July 2023, he applied to renew his multi-year “private and family life” residence permit, which had expired after four years of validity.

However, the Pyrénées-Orientales prefecture refused to renew his permit in March 2024. It also ordered him to leave France within thirty days and designated Morocco as the country to which he would be sent. The Montpellier administrative court initially upheld these decisions.

The prefecture relied primarily on his criminal record. In May 2022, the Moroccan was sentenced to four years in prison, including two years suspended, for robbery committed as part of a group with violence. He had also driven after consuming narcotics, resulting in a six-month driving licence suspension.

On Bladi.net : Arriving in France at the age of two, this Moroccan man was deported to Morocco after 24 years

In its ruling of 17 September 2026, the Toulouse administrative court of appeal sided with the prefecture on an important point: given these facts, the Moroccan’s conduct did indeed constitute a threat to public order.

However, this finding was not sufficient to justify his removal. The judges also examined the length of his presence in France, his family ties and his reintegration efforts.

His entire life is in France

The Moroccan completed all his schooling in France. He then worked as an agricultural labourer and in the construction sector. During his incarceration, he benefited from a semi-open regime and found a job as an operations agent in August 2023.

His employer testified to his good conduct and his willingness to reintegrate. His parents also live in France with resident cards, and several other members of his family hold French nationality. At the same time, the court noted that no significant ties to Morocco had been established.

Under these circumstances, the judges considered that the refusal of a residence permit and the OQTF disproportionately infringed on his private and family life. The seriousness of his conviction therefore did not erase the ties he had built in France since the age of 3. This was similar to the assessment made in the case of another convicted Moroccan who had managed to have his OQTF annulled.

The court overturned the judgment of the Montpellier administrative court, as well as the prefectural order in its entirety: the refusal to renew his permit, the obligation to leave France and the designation of Morocco as the destination country.

On Bladi.net : France expels him, the courts cancel his OQTF… but leave him stranded in Morocco

This time, the courts did not merely ask the prefecture to reconsider the case. They ordered it to issue the Moroccan with a “private and family life” residence permit within two months. A provisional authorisation must be given to him in the meantime.

The State must also pay him 1,200 euros. The Moroccan can therefore remain in France despite the explicit recognition that he poses a threat to public order, as the court ruled that his deportation to Morocco would have excessive consequences for a life built almost entirely in France.