Hundreds of migrants and long-term foreign residents demonstrated outside préfectures across France on 11 June, demanding faster processing of residence-permit renewals and more appointment slots on the notoriously glitch-prone ANEF online portal. The BougeTaPref! collective staged synchronised protests in Paris, Marseille, Lille and eight other cities, stacking cardboard boxes labelled with individual stories of stalled paperwork. Campaigners say waits of six to nine months for renewal appointments leave workers in legal limbo, unable to travel for business or renew labour contracts. Several participants reported missed overseas conferences because expired cartes de séjour voided their Schengen re-entry rights. The Ministry of the Interior insists digital reforms will cut delays by year-end, but unions representing préfecture staff argue that staffing levels have not kept pace with a 27 percent rise in applications since 2023. Earlier this month, France’s highest administrative court gave the government six months to clear technical failures on the ANEF portal, threatening daily fines thereafter. International employers with staff on French local contracts are advised to initiate renewal procedures ten months before expiry and to issue company letters confirming continued employment – documents that protesters say speed up emergency appointments. Firms should also brief travelling employees on the “récépissé” receipt, which temporarily extends stay rights and can be shown at Schengen borders.
Source: The Local France
