Gard Prefecture Under Fire: Human Rights Groups Slam ’Unacceptable’ Delays in Residence Permit Process

These organizations denounce in particular the delays in obtaining and renewing residence permits. "The prefecture has a maximum of four months to give a response to families or people applying for a residence permit. Today, to get this response, you have to wait between six months and two years," says Françoise Augereau of La Cimade to Objectif Gard. She and her fellow activists, Jean Launay of the Ligue des droits de l’Homme, and Marc Livecchi of the Association for the Promotion of Immigrant Workers (APTI) have decided to speak out in the face of this "unacceptable" situation. "We can no longer remain idle, it is a violation of the law."

"We have made many requests for appointments that have gone unanswered," Françoise Augereau also regrets. The associations report many cases of delays, such as that of a young Guinean whose employment contract was suspended by his employer, while waiting to obtain his residence permit. Despite the decision of the administrative court ordering the prefecture of the Gard to issue the permit, the person concerned has still not come into possession of this document, deplore the associations, who reserve the right to take legal action. "We are considering our legal capacities to be able to go to court. We have to come to that, because now we are faced with a violation of the law with much too long delays and repeated receipts," declares Marc Livecchi.