Algerian entrepreneur wins legal battle against expulsion from France

A 68-year-old Algerian businesswoman has successfully challenged an expulsion order issued by the Val-de-Marne prefecture. In March 2026, authorities denied the renewal of her residency permit, citing income levels below the national minimum wage as justification. However, the Administrative Court of Melun ruled in her favor, overturning both the permit denial and the 'obligation to leave French territory' (OQTF). Her lawyer, Me Fayçal Megherbi, highlighted that the court found the prefecture's income requirements incompatible with the 1968 Franco-Algerian agreement, which governs residency rules for Algerian nationals without imposing strict financial thresholds. The court has ordered a re-examination of the application within three months and granted the entrepreneur a temporary work permit. Additionally, the French state was ordered to pay 1,200 euros in legal costs.