France’s Défenseur des droits, the independent constitutional authority that polices citizens’ access to public services, has issued a stinging rebuke of the way foreigners’ residency applications are handled. In its annual report for 2025, released on 14 April, the watchdog says cases linked to foreigners’ rights have soared to 40 % of all complaints—up from 10 % just one year earlier. The vast majority concern the renewal of cartes/titres de séjour and repeated malfunctions of the Interior Ministry’s online portal, ANEF. Applicants report that the website crashes mid-upload, loses passwords and provides no channel to reach a human official.
![French rights watchdog slams residency-card delays and ANEF IT glitches]()
At this stage, many applicants turn to specialised intermediaries. VisaHQ, for example, offers step-by-step document checks, deadline reminders and live support, helping both private individuals and corporate mobility managers reduce the risk of a rejected or stalled request. Its France-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) centralises requirements and fee calculators, providing an alternative touchpoint when official channels fail.
Without the temporary receipts (récépissés) that prefectures issue when a file is in process, thousands of people fall into an irregular status, losing jobs, healthcare and the right to travel. The report quotes frustrated users: “I’ve called dozens of times but it keeps hanging up on me.” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledges the crisis and, in a 5 April circular to prefectures, pledges to cut average processing times from 117 days to 55 by hiring 500 additional staff and automatically issuing 12-month digital récépissés. However, the Défenseur warns that digitalisation must be paired with face-to-face assistance for the less tech-savvy, pointing out that even highly educated professionals struggle with the system. From a corporate-mobility perspective, the backlog creates real-world risk. Employees cannot start work, open bank accounts or travel for client meetings without a valid card or récépissé. HR teams should therefore file renewals at the earliest legal opportunity, track expiry dates rigorously and budget for legal support if the ANEF portal locks out the assignee. Several migrant-rights associations have asked the Conseil d’État to order emergency measures. A preliminary hearing on 11 April left the court signalling that “this is not a minor matter at stake”, suggesting a binding ruling could follow within weeks. Companies with large expatriate populations in France should monitor the case and be prepared for further procedural changes.
At this stage, many applicants turn to specialised intermediaries. VisaHQ, for example, offers step-by-step document checks, deadline reminders and live support, helping both private individuals and corporate mobility managers reduce the risk of a rejected or stalled request. Its France-dedicated platform (https://www.visahq.com/france/) centralises requirements and fee calculators, providing an alternative touchpoint when official channels fail.
Without the temporary receipts (récépissés) that prefectures issue when a file is in process, thousands of people fall into an irregular status, losing jobs, healthcare and the right to travel. The report quotes frustrated users: “I’ve called dozens of times but it keeps hanging up on me.” Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez acknowledges the crisis and, in a 5 April circular to prefectures, pledges to cut average processing times from 117 days to 55 by hiring 500 additional staff and automatically issuing 12-month digital récépissés. However, the Défenseur warns that digitalisation must be paired with face-to-face assistance for the less tech-savvy, pointing out that even highly educated professionals struggle with the system. From a corporate-mobility perspective, the backlog creates real-world risk. Employees cannot start work, open bank accounts or travel for client meetings without a valid card or récépissé. HR teams should therefore file renewals at the earliest legal opportunity, track expiry dates rigorously and budget for legal support if the ANEF portal locks out the assignee. Several migrant-rights associations have asked the Conseil d’État to order emergency measures. A preliminary hearing on 11 April left the court signalling that “this is not a minor matter at stake”, suggesting a binding ruling could follow within weeks. Companies with large expatriate populations in France should monitor the case and be prepared for further procedural changes.
