Arriving in France at 10, this Moroccan man receives an OQTF after 21 years: judge blocks his removal

Born in Morocco in 1995, the man arrived in France in 2005, when he was only 10 years old. He subsequently lived there legally and still held a multi-year residence permit valid from March 3, 2021, to March 2, 2025.

When he applied to renew it, however, the prefect of Jura considered that his presence constituted a threat to public order. The authorities relied on a conviction handed down on February 26, 2021, for drug use and driving under the influence of drugs.

On Bladi.net : Convicted in France, this Moroccan national who has lived there since childhood overturns his OQTF

A new proceeding for similar acts, initiated at the beginning of 2026, was also taken into account. The residence permit commission had moreover issued an unfavorable opinion on February 5.

On June 22, 2026, the prefecture therefore refused to renew his permit, ordered him to leave France within thirty days, and imposed a re-entry ban. Morocco was designated as the country of removal.

The man then brought the matter before the urgent applications judge. He explained that the decision prevented him from continuing his professional activity and excessively infringed on his private and family life, built in France since childhood.

His 21 years in France tip the balance

In its order of August 7, 2026, the Besançon Administrative Court did not minimize the acts alleged against the Moroccan national. The judge expressly acknowledged that driving under the influence of drugs posed a risk to public safety.

But the court also noted that the man had lived in France since the age of 10, had held regular residence permits there, and maintained ties with members of his immediate family. The OQTF also deprived him of the possibility of continuing his work.

According to the court, these elements raised serious doubts about the order’s compliance with the right to respect for private and family life. The judge therefore suspended the entire prefectural decision until the court could rule definitively on its legality.

On Bladi.net : After 56 Years in France, This Moroccan Man Forces the Prefecture to Back Down

The prefect will also have to issue the Moroccan man, within one month, a temporary residence permit allowing him to work. The State was finally ordered to pay him 1000 euros in legal costs. This order does not yet grant him a permanent residence permit, but it provisionally blocks his removal to Morocco.