French-Moroccan Man Denied Travel to See Dying Mother Due to Visa Delay

Abdellah Khayr, 62, will not forget this misadventure anytime soon. After losing his residence permit valid until 2028 last August, this sexagenarian, married to a French woman, failed to obtain a duplicate of his lost residence permit to return to Morocco in time. The prefecture had announced a three-month delay to obtain this precious document.

As soon as the announcement of his mother’s illness, he vainly requested from the prefecture a document that could allow him to make the round trip without fear. Despite the medical certificate from his mother’s doctor and the referral to the administrative court which ordered the issuance of the document, the prefecture remained deaf to Abdellah Khayr’s request. In its verdict, the administrative judge noted that there was a serious breach of the freedom to come and go and to lead a normal private and family life.

With his back to the wall, and after learning of his mother’s death, the French Moroccan expatriate decided to return to the country without the travel document. According to him, he had to explain his problem to the border police who allowed him to leave. "I showed them the death certificate and a photocopy of my residence permit and they told me, go ahead Mr. have a good trip," said Abdellah Khayr.

After his mother’s funeral, the French Moroccan expatriate had to fight again before obtaining a visa to return to France. The prefecture demanded that he come and collect the duplicate of his residence permit himself while he was still in Morocco. This situation was finally resolved thanks to the combativeness of his wife, who remained in France, it is specified. For the family’s lawyer, the prefecture was "incapable of discussing and incapable of having an ounce of humanity". According to Francebleu, this father of 4 children was to obtain the visa and return to France this Thursday after the results of his PCR test.