His employer tries four times to regularize his status, but this Moroccan man ultimately receives an OQTF

Born in 1989 in Meknès, he arrived in France on 10 March 2023 with a long-stay visa obtained as the spouse of a French woman. His residence permit had been renewed until 9 January 2026.

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After his divorce, pronounced on 4 July 2025 in Toulouse, he had to change his status to remain in France. Since 8 August 2025, he has worked on a full-time permanent contract as a heavy-goods vehicle delivery driver for the company Guisnel Location.

Four applications, four closures

His employer submitted a first work permit application on 6 August 2025. It was closed on 2 October because the file was incomplete.

A second was submitted on 6 November, then closed on 1 December because the Moroccan man still held a permit authorizing him to work. The day after the application was submitted, he had himself requested renewal of his residence permit with a change of status to an “employee” card.

The employer tried twice more in 2026: a third application was submitted on 16 March and closed on 20 April because it was incomplete; a fourth, submitted as early as 21 April, was in turn closed on 5 May because certain supporting documents were missing.

On 4 June, no work permit had therefore been issued. The prefect of Haute-Garonne refused his change of status, ordered him to leave France within thirty days and designated the country of destination.

The Moroccan man brought the case before the courts. He explained that his job was his only source of income and that losing it also threatened his housing. At the hearing, his lawyer described the difficulties encountered concerning the work permits as “Kafkaesque.”

In its order of 17 July 2026, however, the Toulouse Administrative Court found that, when the prefecture ruled, none of the four applications was still pending and no work permit had been granted.

The judge therefore considered that, at this stage, no argument created serious doubt as to the legality of the refusal of residence and rejected the request for suspension.

A fifth work permit application had been submitted on 25 June, after the prefectural decision. The court specified that, if it succeeds, the Moroccan man could submit a new application for an “employee” residence permit.

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The case has not been definitively decided: the action on the merits challenging the refusal of residence remains pending before the courts.