Her permanent contract suspended for lack of a valid permit: this Moroccan woman with a “talent passport” gets the state condemned

Born in 1996, the young woman arrived legally in France on 14 September 2019 with a student visa. After completing her studies and entering the workforce, she obtained in April 2022 a multi-year “talent passport – qualified employee / innovative company” residence permit, valid until 25 April 2026.

She applied for its renewal as early as 11 January 2026. In the meantime, she was issued a certificate extending her right to remain from 26 April to 25 July. But no final decision was made before it expired, according to the order issued by the Cergy-Pontoise Administrative Court.

On Bladi.net : The Cergy-Pontoise prefecture blocks her residence permit, so this Moroccan woman imposes a €100 daily penalty for late compliance

The consequence was immediate. Lacking a document allowing her to continue working legally, her employer suspended her permanent employment contract as of 25 July. The Moroccan woman was deprived of all her income and stated that her company was considering permanently terminating her contract if her situation was not regularized.

She petitioned the urgent applications judge on 31 July to suspend the implicit refusal to renew her permit resulting from the silence of the Hauts-de-Seine prefecture. Although the administration had received the application, it submitted no defense brief and was neither present nor represented at the hearing on 17 August.

A work permit within ten days

The judge first noted the urgency. He recalled that it is generally presumed when a foreign national requests renewal of a permit they already held. In the absence of any observations from the prefecture capable of calling this urgency into question, this condition was deemed satisfied.

Above all, the court found that there was serious doubt as to the legality of the refusal, in light of the rules applicable to renewal of the “talent passport – qualified employee.” It therefore suspended the prefectural decision until the case receives a final judgment.

The situation is reminiscent of a Moroccan man whose salary had been suspended despite a permanent contract paying €3,700, for lack of a valid receipt. He too had obtained a provisional authorization from the courts allowing him to return to work.

In the Moroccan woman’s case, the Hauts-de-Seine prefecture has two months to fully review her application. Above all, within ten days it must issue her a temporary residence permit authorizing her to work until the new administrative decision or the judgment on the merits.

On Bladi.net : France: Talent passport withdrawn on weak grounds, Moroccan national has State condemned

However, the court refused to impose the financial penalty requested by the young woman and did not directly grant her a new “talent passport.” The victory therefore remains provisional: the refusal has been suspended, but the final renewal of the permit has not yet been ordered.

The state was finally ordered to pay her €1,000 for her legal costs. The decision primarily allows this employee, who arrived in France as a student seven years earlier, to legally resume her professional activity while awaiting the prefecture’s new decision on her application.