Twelve years in France, a “talent passport”… then an OQTF for this Moroccan woman

Born in Morocco in November 1981, the Moroccan national entered France legally on 9 September 2014. At the time, she held a long-stay visa bearing the designation “student.”

Her career subsequently enabled her to change her status. Most recently, she had obtained a “talent passport – qualified employee” residence card, intended in particular for foreign nationals engaged in highly qualified professional activities.

This permit was valid for four years, from 16 May 2022 to 15 May 2026.

Before it expired, on 30 April 2026, the Moroccan woman applied to the Hauts-de-Seine prefecture for its renewal. But less than three months later, the administration’s response was particularly severe.

By an order dated 20 July, the prefect refused to renew her residence permit. He also ordered her to leave France within thirty days, designated the country to which she could be removed and imposed a one-year ban on returning to France.

On Bladi.net : Talent passport, OQTF and a three-year ban for 300 euros: this Moroccan gets everything annulled

The decision of the Cergy-Pontoise Administrative Court does not specify the exact grounds on which the prefecture relied to refuse the renewal.

She asks the judge to allow her to continue working

The Moroccan woman then urgently took the matter to court. On 17 August, she asked the interim-relief judge to suspend the refusal of residence pending the tribunal’s final ruling on her appeal.

She also requested that, within eight days, she be issued a receipt allowing her to work. She asked that the prefecture be ordered to pay a penalty of 50 euros per day in the event of delay.

To demonstrate the urgency, she explained that the loss of her permit directly affected her professional and financial situation. In particular, she maintained that the prefectural order prevented her from normally seeking employment and signing a new employment contract.

The Moroccan national also emphasized her twelve years of habitual residence in France, her previous professional activity and her social and professional integration.

She considered that this situation constituted circumstances sufficiently significant to justify her regularization. She also invoked her right to respect for her private and family life and argued that the prefecture had erred in assessing the consequences of her departure.

This case comes only a few days after that of another Moroccan holder of a talent passport who had also received an OQTF in Hauts-de-Seine. In that case, the prefecture had relied on an old conviction involving a suspended fine of 300 euros, and the tribunal ultimately annulled the OQTF and the re-entry ban.

On Bladi.net : France: Talent passport withdrawn on weak grounds, Moroccan national has State condemned

This time, the Moroccan woman failed to convince the interim-relief judge.

In its order of 26 August 2026, the Cergy-Pontoise Administrative Court considered that none of the arguments presented was, at this stage of the proceedings, likely to create serious doubt as to the legality of the refusal to renew the permit.

The judge therefore directly rejected her request for suspension, without even needing to examine whether her situation was sufficiently urgent.

The decision does not, however, finally resolve the dispute. The Moroccan woman had simultaneously filed an appeal on the merits seeking annulment of the order of 20 July. This procedure, registered under number 2617917, remains separate from the interim proceedings that have just been rejected.

For now, she therefore remains confronted with the refusal to renew her “talent passport,” an OQTF with a thirty-day departure period and a one-year re-entry ban, after nearly twelve years spent legally in France.