After 56 Years in France, This Moroccan Man Forces the Prefecture to Back Down
Having lived in France since the age of 11, a Moroccan man was refused renewal of his residence card because of a conviction dating from 2019. The courts have now overturned that decision and ordered the prefecture to issue him a ten-year card.
Born on 25 December 1957 in Rabat, the Moroccan national applied to renew his residence card on 22 January 2024. The prefect of Calvados rejected his application by an order dated 11 April 2025. The Moroccan man then brought the case before the Caen Administrative Court to have the decision annulled.
On Bladi.net : France: The prefect wanted to deport this Moroccan cook; he must now give him his papers
To justify its refusal, the prefecture relied on a conviction handed down on 18 July 2019 by the Lisieux Criminal Court. The Moroccan man had been sentenced to 70 hours of community service for acts of rebellion and violence without incapacity committed against a person who was or had been his spouse, cohabiting partner or partner.
But no further conviction had occurred since then. In its ruling of 31 July 2026, the Caen Administrative Court considers that this sole conviction, handed down more than five years before the prefecture’s decision, did not establish the existence of a current threat to public order of sufficient seriousness to refuse the renewal.
More than 56 years spent in France
The judges also took the Moroccan man’s situation into account. He has lived in France since the age of 11, meaning for more than 56 years as of the date of the prefecture’s refusal. Five of his brothers and sisters, all French nationals, also live in France. He also demonstrated that he had a stable professional situation before retiring, effective 1 July 2024.
The court therefore considers that the prefect of Calvados made an error of assessment. The order of 11 April 2025 is annulled. And the courts are not content with ordering a new review of the case: they require the prefecture to issue the Moroccan man a ten-year residence card within one month of notification of the judgment.
On Bladi.net : Arriving in France at six, he loses his resident card after 50 years
The State must also pay him 1,200 euros for legal costs. However, the court rejected his application for provisional admission to legal aid, as no application for legal aid had been shown to have been filed by the person concerned or his lawyer.
