French court overturns OQTF, Franco‑Algerian woman avoids deportation

A woman of Algerian origin who became a French citizen in 1997 lived in France since 1993 and was issued an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF) in June 2025 while returning from a family visit to Algeria. At Roissy‑Charles‑de‑Gaulle airport border police declared her irregular, detained her for several hours and ordered her to leave within 48 hours, also imposing a one‑year ban on re‑entry. The prefecture justified the measure by alleging falsified documents and cited a 2001 judgment that pre‑dated her naturalisation, a contradiction that the administration could not substantiate.

On 21 July 2026 the Administrative Court of Montreuil annulled the OQTF, ordered the return of her French identity card and passports, and restored her full administrative rights. She reported immense relief after more than a year of uncertainty and restricted mobility.