Moroccan woman wins residency after six years of work, while seasonal worker’s appeal fails

On October 13, 2026, the Versailles administrative court ruled in favor of a Moroccan woman born in 1986 who arrived in France without a visa in June 2019. Despite nearly six years of employment, the Yvelines prefecture had refused to regularize her status and had given her thirty days to leave the country. The judges overturned that decision and ordered that she be issued an employee residence permit, according to the Versailles court ruling.

On Bladi.net : Moroccan Worker Wins Right to Stay in France After Five Years on the Job

The woman began working as a kitchen assistant in June 2019 before securing a full-time permanent contract in the hotel industry in October 2020. Her pay slips showed continuous employment, and her job was among those facing labor shortages in Île-de-France.

The court found that the prefect had made a manifest error of judgment. It ordered the prefect to issue her a provisional residence permit allowing her to work within fifteen days, followed by a residence permit within three months. The state must also pay her 1,000 euros.

The next day, another Moroccan loses his appeal

On October 14 in Toulouse, the verdict was entirely different. A Moroccan man born in 1993, who entered France legally on February 12, 2022, with a seasonal worker visa, sought a temporary worker residence permit. His multi-year residence card had expired in February 2025. The Lot prefecture refused his application and issued an order to leave France within thirty days, a decision upheld by the Toulouse administrative court.

The man said he had been working as a home care aide since September 2024, an occupation facing a labor shortage. But the judges noted that he had provided neither a fixed-term contract nor prior authorization to work. A simple letter from his employer, dated November 8, 2025, was not enough. His seasonal worker visa also did not meet the requirements for the permit he had requested.

On Bladi.net : Moroccan seasonal worker’s bid for employee status rejected over expired visa

The two cases show how important prefects’ discretionary power to regularize immigration status can be. The 1987 Franco-Moroccan agreement governs work-related residence permits, and Moroccan nationals are not directly covered by the special procedure for occupations facing labor shortages. However, prefects can still grant a permit after reviewing an applicant’s professional and personal circumstances.

In Versailles, the judges were persuaded by the woman’s years of work, stable employment and supporting documents that the prefect’s refusal was manifestly disproportionate. In Toulouse, the applicant also cited a relationship with a French woman, but the statements, photographs and documents he submitted did not establish family ties that were sufficiently long-standing and stable. His appeal was dismissed in full.