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Area 04
Immigration law
Residing, working, being protected, bringing your family over: complex administrative procedures, sometimes with very short deadlines, which deserve careful preparation.
How I can help
- Residence permits: first application, renewal, change of status, resident card (carte de résident).
- Refusals and obligations to leave French territory (OQTF): administrative and judicial appeals before the administrative court (tribunal administratif), urgent applications (référés).
- Asylum and international protection: preparing the OFPRA interview, appeals before the National Court of Asylum (CNDA).
- Administrative detention and house arrest: challenges before the judge, applications for release.
- Family life: family reunification, visas for spouses and children of French nationals.
- French nationality: naturalisation applications, declaration by marriage, appeals against a refusal.
The time limits for appealing against an obligation to leave French territory are very short, sometimes only a few days. They are stated on the decision: contact me as soon as you receive it.
A dual approach, national and European
My experience at the International Protection Centre and at the European Court of Human Rights allows me, where necessary, to take a case beyond the French courts: a request for interim measures to the European Court where there is a serious risk in the country of return, or an application for interference with the right to family life.
How the process works
- First conversationYou explain your situation, in English, Russian or French; together we identify the deadlines to be met.
- Preparing the fileList of documents, drafting letters and applications, preparing interviews.
- AppealApplication to the administrative court or the National Court of Asylum, oral submissions at the hearing.
- Follow-upImplementation of the decision, renewals, progression towards a more stable permit.
Frequently asked questions
I have received an obligation to leave French territory (OQTF): what should I do?
Act immediately. The time limit for appeal, stated on the decision, may be only a few days. An appeal before the administrative court makes it possible to challenge the decision; in certain cases, it suspends removal until the judgment.
OFPRA has rejected my asylum claim: can I challenge the decision?
Yes, by appealing to the National Court of Asylum (CNDA) within one month of notification of the decision. You can apply for legal aid (aide juridictionnelle) to be assisted by a lawyer.
Can you help me prepare my residence permit application?
Yes. A complete, well-argued file from the moment it is submitted limits the risk of refusal and lays the groundwork for any appeal.
Can the European Court of Human Rights be asked to stop an expulsion?
Yes, where expulsion would expose you to a real risk of torture or inhuman treatment, or would disproportionately interfere with your family life. In an emergency, the Court can order the State to suspend removal by means of an interim measure.