Moroccan Teacher Sent to France Faces Deportation After Losing Consular Post
He came to France as a teacher on an educational assignment at the Moroccan consulate in Montpellier. Six years later, dismissed by Morocco’s national education ministry, he has seen a court uphold his deportation order and that of his wife, despite their child being enrolled in school in France.
In October 2019, the Moroccan couple arrived in France with their child on long-stay visas. In June 2020, the French Foreign Ministry issued the husband a special residence permit linked to his educational assignment at the Montpellier consulate. His wife received a document corresponding to her status.
These permits, renewed until October 31, 2024, were tied to the temporary assignment. The couple returned their cards and applied for ordinary residence permits. On October 27, 2025, the Hérault prefecture refused their applications and ordered them to leave France within 30 days, with a three-month re-entry ban for each.
The former teacher’s case includes a severe disciplinary sanction: his permanent dismissal from Morocco’s national education system for abandoning his post, along with a ban on holding any position. He nevertheless produced a promise of employment in France. The court noted that he had not applied for a “salaried employee” residence permit and had no work authorization.
School enrollment and volunteer work are not enough
His wife speaks fluent French and volunteers with local associations. Their child is enrolled in school in France. The couple cited these ties to challenge the deportation measures in two appeals heard together.
But the judges considered that the special permits were limited to the duration of the assignment. The couple had lived in Morocco until adulthood and had not shown that they had established the center of their family life in France. In the court’s view, their child could continue schooling in Morocco alongside their parents.
In its ruling of October 12, 2026, the Montpellier Administrative Court dismissed both appeals. The refusals of residence permits, deportation orders and three-month re-entry bans remain in place.
