Moroccan Entrepreneur Wins Lawsuit Over 10-Month Visa Delay in France

The Moroccan, founder of a consulting company in France, filed in December 2022 an application for a 4-year residence permit with the mention "Talent-Business Creator" at the Paris police prefecture. In January 2023, the public service approved his request and set the document delivery date for March 23, 2023, reports Le Desk.

The applicant went to the prefecture on the agreed date to collect his residence permit. But he did not receive a residence permit. After months of waiting and follow-ups, he decided to take legal action at the administrative court, which ruled in his favor. In its ruling dated July 13, 2023, the judge ordered the Paris prefecture to issue the residence permit to the Moroccan before July 30. A deadline that was also not met.

The applicant finally obtained his document on October 19, 2023, more than 10 months after submitting his application, and more than two months after the date set by the court. Dissatisfied, the Moroccan again appealed to the administrative court for the prefecture to extend the validity of his residence permit by 10 months and pay him compensation of 1.124 million euros for "financial damages" and 20,000 euros for "moral damages".

According to the Moroccan, this delay in issuing the residence permit prevented him from opening a bank account and caused him to lose two important contracts. However, in its decision dated May 6, the court did not grant this request from the Moroccan, neither for the financial nor moral damages claimed, deeming this demand unjustified.