Protests held outside French prefectures over residency card issues

Protests took place outside prefectures across France yesterday (June 10) in relation to residency card delays and difficulties in accessing appointments. 

Organised by the ‘BougeTaPref’ group, the protests targeted the increasing challenges faced by foreigners in obtaining residency cards to remain in France.

Cities including Nantes, Rennes, Grenoble, Lille, Toulouse and Marseille were sites of protests, with groups using various methods to highlight the difficulties they are facing.

In Grenoble (Isère), protesters set up dozens of cardboard boxes to mimic the ‘dysfunctional’ blockades from the prefecture.

In Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) a ‘Prefecture Olympic Games’ was held, taking a dig at the difficulty in obtaining residency cards and appointments.

“[French] prefectures have become a bunker; everything is digital, and it's impossible to contact them,” said BougeTaPref activist Laure, to media outlet 20Minutes.

Almost a year to renew 12-month card

The movement highlighted the difficulties for those who see their residency cards expire without being renewed in time, leaving them without rights.

Delays can leave workers – who in some cases have been in France for several years – suddenly stripped of rights including the ability to work and access to social security. 

Those without residency rights are referred to as ‘sans papiers’ and face difficulties in finding housing, healthcare, and a stable income until their cards are renewed.

The example of ‘Zena’ is common throughout France.

“She applied for a residency card renewal and after three months was told her card – with a 12-month validity – was being processed,” said Michel, a volunteer who helps foreigners with applications, to Ouest France.

“She received it eleven months later… before even receiving the card, she had to make a renewal request,” he added.

Difficulty in obtaining an appointment is also highlighted as an issue, with slots filling up almost immediately and some having to wait months for the necessary meetings.

Anger over digitisation

BougeTaPref, a pressure group made up of migrant support groups and labor unions, is one of several groups to highlight issues of digitisation within the process.

Since 2020, almost all residency card applications have moved online, a measure said to be intended to simplify the process. 

This has been far from the case for many applicants however, and in May France’s Conseil d’Etat administrative court reprimanded the government over several failures with the online service after rights associations took legal action. It gave the government six months to fix the issues.

The interior ministry has also written to prefectures outlining ideas for what must be done. 

Following the ruling a member of the La Cimade foreigners’ rights organisation told The Connexion of their satisfaction with the court victory, saying “it should, hopefully, significantly improve the situation for people who are faced with this digital barrier and who are unable to submit their residence permit applications”.

She added: “We hope that this focus of resources on renewals, coupled with changes to rectify the platform’s malfunctions, will enable people to access the renewal process more quickly and that they will no longer risk losing their rights in in-between periods.” 

Wednesday’s protests highlighted digitisation issues, with chants of "hire more staff to process our files!" and "no more computers, just people to talk to!"

Rennes city councillor Régine Komokoli, part of the far-left La France Insoumise, spent several years as sans papiers in France before receiving her rights, and is now trying to help others.

“When I started the process at the prefecture in 2001, at least there was a human being in front of me who could help and guide me.” 

“There were certainly long lines, but we were welcomed. Whereas now, the prefecture is like a prison. It’s incomprehensible that a public service would barricade itself like this.” 

For its part, Rennes prefecture refused a meeting with several associations over the matter, pointing to a 2025 court ruling that said the online process used does not hinder the exercise of their right to residency by foreigners.

It says residency card holders can contact the prefecture through telephone and mail alongside digital services.

All affected 

While many people impacted by the delays are those with residency cards that must be updated annually, even those with longer-term rights face difficulties. 

Ada, a nurse who received a 10-year residency permit in 2017 and lives in Rennes, knows her card is coming up for renewal. However, the prefecture has been unable to help her.

“The prefecture told me they didn't know my file, even though they issued me a residency permit,” she told 20Minutes.

“If my residency permit isn't renewed, I'll lose my job.” 

Even those who do not need their residency cards to work in France face the threat of losing their residency status, if cards expire and are not renewed in time.