In a public complaint posted to the government’s *Services Publics +* feedback portal, a couple living in Essonne revealed that their student-to-worker and Talent Passport renewal applications have been pending for eight and nine months respectively, despite repeated follow-ups and two registered letters. Filed on 24 February 2026, the testimony details how successive *attestations de prolongation* placate legal-stay requirements but leave employers reluctant to confirm contracts, placing professional and family life "in great precariousness."
The grievance underscores a nationwide trend of prefecture backlogs that has accelerated since most renewals moved online to the ANEF portal. Under the *Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers*, authorities are supposed to issue a decision within four months. Human-rights groups in Gard and Seine-Saint-Denis have filed similar complaints, and several administrative courts have ordered prefectures to process overdue cases within 15 days—orders that are not always executed.
![Nine-Month Prefecture Backlog in Essonne Highlights Processing Crisis]()
For individuals and companies looking for extra support while their files inch forward, VisaHQ’s dedicated France team (https://www.visahq.com/france/) can track applications, coordinate with prefectures and furnish interim evidence of status, streamlining HR compliance and giving foreign talent added peace of mind.
For employers, the practical risk is sudden work-authorisation lapses that can trigger payroll non-compliance and social-security penalties. Many are now adding clauses to French employment contracts that recognise ANEF receipts as proof of right to work, though acceptance varies by industry.
Mobility managers should verify that foreign staff obtain renewal *récépissés* before expiry, track prefecture response times, and consider engaging immigration counsel for delay letters (*mises en demeure*) if the four-month statutory limit is breached. The Essonne case suggests that proactive pressure may be necessary to unlock files stuck in digital limbo.
The grievance underscores a nationwide trend of prefecture backlogs that has accelerated since most renewals moved online to the ANEF portal. Under the *Code de l’entrée et du séjour des étrangers*, authorities are supposed to issue a decision within four months. Human-rights groups in Gard and Seine-Saint-Denis have filed similar complaints, and several administrative courts have ordered prefectures to process overdue cases within 15 days—orders that are not always executed.
For individuals and companies looking for extra support while their files inch forward, VisaHQ’s dedicated France team (https://www.visahq.com/france/) can track applications, coordinate with prefectures and furnish interim evidence of status, streamlining HR compliance and giving foreign talent added peace of mind.
For employers, the practical risk is sudden work-authorisation lapses that can trigger payroll non-compliance and social-security penalties. Many are now adding clauses to French employment contracts that recognise ANEF receipts as proof of right to work, though acceptance varies by industry.
Mobility managers should verify that foreign staff obtain renewal *récépissés* before expiry, track prefecture response times, and consider engaging immigration counsel for delay letters (*mises en demeure*) if the four-month statutory limit is breached. The Essonne case suggests that proactive pressure may be necessary to unlock files stuck in digital limbo.
