Single Mother Denied French Citizenship for Working Multiple Jobs

Saïda first arrived in France in 1981, at the age of 9, with the wish to one day obtain the nationality of the country, reports Bondy Blog. At the age of 14, her life took a turn. She recounts having been the victim of a forced marriage in Algeria, during a summer return. She later became the mother of five children. However, she remained glued to her goal.

In 2004, she obtained a tourist visa for France, and decided to leave Algeria permanently with her children. On her return, she settled in Bagnolet (Seine-Saint-Denis). From now on, she will have to raise her children alone and provide for their needs.

"No one helped me, neither my brothers nor my family, no one," she confides. Cleaning work, long hours... The cleaning lady bleeds to the bone.

In 2018, Saïda filed a first naturalization application. This request did not prosper due to a missing certificate. In 2020, a second request. This time "a good and complete file". The Bagnolet resident passed the preliminary interviews. But the request did not materialize. On November 23, the Seine-Saint-Denis prefecture sent her a letter to inform her that her application was "postponed for two years" on the grounds that she holds two jobs and works 210 hours per month. An infringement with regard to the working time regulated by French legislation.