Six to twelve months to improve the management by ANEF of formalities related to the stay and work of foreign people residing in France
June 2026
Six to twelve months to improve the management by ANEF of formalities related to the stay and work of foreign people residing in France
The Council of State, sitting in plenary session, ruled that several malfunctions of the digital administration for foreigners in France (ANEF) seriously compromise the rights of users and ordered the Minister of the Interior to remedy them within a period of six to twelve months (CE Ass. 5 May 2026 Fédération des Acteurs de la Solidarité and others , req. no.502860 : Rec. CE).
The system for managing applications related to the stay and work of foreigners in France requires foreigners to submit their applications for residence permits exclusively online, on the ANEF platform, for almost all categories of permits.
By a decision no. 502860 read on May 5, 2026 [1] , and published in the Lebon Collection, the Assembly of the Council of State orders the State to take several corrective measures to improve the functioning of this platform and address its shortcomings, within a period of six to twelve months [2] .
This decision governs access to the digital public service and aims to guarantee effective legal security, essential both for the procedures for obtaining and renewing residence permits for individuals, and for the continuity of the activity of companies employing foreign nationals.
In its decision, the Council of State identifies several malfunctions that could prevent users of the public service from effectively exercising their rights. It therefore orders the State, which manages the ANEF platform, to implement a number of measures.
1) ensure the effective issuance and renewal of certificates of extension of the investigation for foreigners who have submitted an application for renewal of residence permit, in order to avoid any interruption of rights related to the processing times of the files;
2) complete the content of the certificates of extension of the instruction so that they explicitly mention the rights they open up, in particular the right to work when applicable;
3) amend the regulatory provisions necessary to guarantee the recognition of provisional documents issued via ANEF by administrations, social bodies and other actors concerned, as supporting documents enabling the opening or maintenance of the corresponding rights;
4) allow users to correct, complete and update their file at any time during the processing of their application;
5) allow the filing of several applications for residence permits based on distinct legal grounds when a user is likely to fall under several categories of permits.
The decision under review confirms that budgetary constraints or technical complexity do not, in themselves, constitute grounds for exemption from the State's culpable failure.
[1] CE Ass. 5 May 2026 Fédération des Acteurs de la Solidarité and others , req. n°502860 : Rec. CE.
[2] B. Delsol,Ccl. on CE Ass. 5 May 2026 Fédération des Acteurs de la Solidarité and others , req. n°502860 : Rec. CE.
Without correction of the identified malfunctions within a period of six to twelve months, the State will be subject to enforcement proceedings before the Council of State.
This requirement for effective public service reinforces the idea that digitalization cannot lead to a weakening of existing legal guarantees. For businesses, this should translate into greater predictability of residency status and therefore of employment relationships: the continuity of the right to residency becomes clearer, which limits artificial disruptions in career paths and the costs associated with administrative uncertainty.
This decision thus reflects a requirement for overall security of the administrative process for foreign nationals and contributes to the building of a more reliable and accessible digital administration.