An Indian national arrested in early June in a church in the French port city of Caen is no longer under threat of deportation. The 36-year-old father will be able to apply for a residence permit in France.
Eldhose Kollinal no longer risks deportation from France after the Calvados prefecture canceled the deportation order (OQTF) issued against him in June. The 36-year-old Indian cook's family is relieved, French news website Mediapart reported on August 19.
"Mr. Kollinal's file has been re-examined. The deportation order has been withdrawn and the person in question has been invited to submit an application for exceptional admission to residence," authorities told Mediapart.
The man was arrested on June 9 in Caen, a city located in northern France, while praying in church. Passersby had called the police on him based on his appearance. At the time, the city was experiencing was an upsurge in anti-migrant sentiment. The day before, a Syrian refugee had attacked several people with a knife in Annecy, seriously injuring six, including young children.
At the time of his arrest, Eldhose Kollinal was undocumented. He'd been living in France since 2020 with his wife – also undocumented – and his two-year-old son. At the time, he was working as a kitchen assistant in a restaurant on a contract, hoping to apply for a residence permit by providing proof of his good work integration.
"My client was about to tally up 24 payslips, which makes it possible to file a request for regularization through work under the Valls advisory. His employer had assured him of his support," his lawyer Me Marine Wahab explained at the time.
The deportation order put a stop to his plans. But people came and rallied around Eldhose Kollinal’s case. A petition, put online by the Cimade migrant advocacy organization, gathered thousands of signatures.
"More than six thousand people signed the petition even though we don't know that many people in France. I don't have the words to say how much we appreciate this support," Elgi, Eldhose's wife, told Médiapart.
'My dreams are coming true'
The family, who did not expect such support, welcomed the decision of the authorities with joy.
"My dreams are coming true,” the father of the family told local media Ouest France. "Since June, we have lived under extreme stress. Now we feel at peace. We found sleep again. That night was the best in months! We are grateful for the Cimade, without which we would have been alone in the face of this ordeal, and for our lawyer."
The Kollinal spouses now hope to live peacefully in France. They hope to soon reunite with their daughter, aged six, who remains in India with her grandparents.