Residence Permit Crisis in France: Associations Sue Lille Prefecture Amid Soaring Application Delays

The prefecture of Lille is in the sights of 15 associations helping foreigners, including La Cimade and Secours Catholique. Represented by a collective of four lawyers, these associations filed a request on Wednesday, July 9 before the administrative court of Lille, asking it to "note the shortcomings of the prefecture and order it to take the necessary measures," reports Libération. According to the explanations of Élodie Beharel, an activist, the appeals of foreigners to the administrative court are too numerous for them to be made individually. "This is what is pushing us to bring this more global litigation," she continued.

The same sentiment is echoed by Claire Périnaud, one of the lawyers in the collective. According to her, "people should be able to carry out their procedures without the assistance of a lawyer." Violette Spillebout, a Renaissance deputy from the North, says that applicants for residence permits, who cannot afford a lawyer, often turn to associations, but also to deputies. According to her, she has received 17 cases in 2022, 30 in 2023, 89 in 2024. These figures, which are on the rise, are worrying. The elected official mentioned the case of a Beninese engineer in France for 30 years who had difficulty renewing his residence permit. "This is becoming administrative absurdity," she denounced.

The emergency referrals, which often concern cases related to residence permits, have increased by 86% in 2024 compared to 2023 at the administrative court of Lille, it is specified. Elodie Beharel tries to explain the reasons behind the dysfunctions at the level of the prefecture of the North. "We know that it is not a will of the prefecture, that it is linked to human resources problems, but it is necessary to ensure normal access to public services," she specified.

"The situation has improved significantly on all residence permits" since the arrival of the new prefect," assures the prefecture of the North. In total, 15,719 residence permits were issued by the State services at the end of June 2025, an increase of 48% compared to the previous year.