In a decision dated 22 October 2025 but published on 30 October, the Administrative Court of Grenoble ruled that the Isère prefecture still fails to provide non-digital ways to book immigration appointments, despite earlier injunctions. The judge increased the penalty to €600 per day of non-compliance and ordered the state to pay €5,000 to five migrant-rights associations.
The litigation stems from the prefecture’s move to an online-only booking portal in 2024, which advocacy groups say is inaccessible to many low-income or digitally excluded migrants. The court found that the alternative measures introduced—such as an online interface branded ‘Démarches simplifiées’—do not amount to genuine face-to-face access.
For HR teams relocating staff to the Alpine tech corridor (Grenoble, Voiron, Valence), the judgment means physical queues may soon reopen, potentially reducing lead times for first-issue cartes de séjour. Companies should, however, brace for transitional turbulence as the prefecture redesigns its workflow and hires counter staff.
More broadly, the ruling feeds into a national debate over ‘all-digital’ prefectures; several other departments face similar lawsuits. Employers may wish to audit which sites still rely on scarce web appointments and escalate urgent cases through the préfecture-Entreprise fast-track where available.
The litigation stems from the prefecture’s move to an online-only booking portal in 2024, which advocacy groups say is inaccessible to many low-income or digitally excluded migrants. The court found that the alternative measures introduced—such as an online interface branded ‘Démarches simplifiées’—do not amount to genuine face-to-face access.
For HR teams relocating staff to the Alpine tech corridor (Grenoble, Voiron, Valence), the judgment means physical queues may soon reopen, potentially reducing lead times for first-issue cartes de séjour. Companies should, however, brace for transitional turbulence as the prefecture redesigns its workflow and hires counter staff.
More broadly, the ruling feeds into a national debate over ‘all-digital’ prefectures; several other departments face similar lawsuits. Employers may wish to audit which sites still rely on scarce web appointments and escalate urgent cases through the préfecture-Entreprise fast-track where available.
