"I have worries on my mind, I can’t concentrate on my work. Sometimes I wake up in the night shouting, 'What am I doing here?' Sometimes I don’t sleep and then I get up at 5 or 6 am to go to work. My mind can’t find peace," Sekou, a Malian construction worker, confided.

Lamiya, an Algerian national, described her "anxiety." "It would wake me up at night. I’d come home stressed. At home, I’m alone, no one sees me, that’s when I let my emotions out. [But] once, I did [even] cry in front of my daughter. I wasn’t well."

Malik, a Cameroonian construction worker, experienced the harsh reality of losing his rights due to lengthy delays when renewing his residency permit. "It still hurts to talk about it. [At the prefecture] I was shocked, I had tears in my eyes. Because I was no longer in a regular situation, [my employer] suspended me. It was the worst time of my year, I won't forget it," he said.

All these testimonies come from the latest Amnesty International report, published on June 2, on the impact of "precarious residency permits" on the mental health of foreign workers in France. According to the NGO, of the 27 people interviewed, "26 described various symptoms indicative of fragile mental health, which they believe stem directly from the instability of their residency status, the processes involved in renewing their residency permits, living with temporary documents, and the constant risk of becoming undocumented."

All those interviewed reported experiencing symptoms such as panic attacks, profound anxiety, and sleep disturbances. "In addition to these disturbances, they also experienced significant physical and mental fatigue, crying spells, and body aches," the report added. Some also confided that their precarious administrative situation had already led them to depression, sometimes even resulting in suicidal thoughts.

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'The primary cause of stress is access to administrative status'

To reach this conclusion, Amnesty International also interviewed several psychiatrists, psychologists, and healthcare professionals. "When people come for consultations, the primary source of stress they mention is obtaining legal status," psychiatrist Tortelli, a member of Capsys, explained. She works in a unit dedicated to the mental health of migrants in precarious situations in the Paris region. "Psychologically, it’s the instability that breaks them," she added.

This instability stems in particular from the duration of "private and family life" residence permits: one year for an initial application, two to four years for a renewal. Because in France, each renewal is a process fraught with difficulties: "Appointments impossible to find at the prefecture, a malfunctioning online platform, a 250 euros tax stamp to pay for each renewal…," the report listed.

Dr. Daculsi, medical director of the association Parcours d'Exil (Exile Pathways), observes daily "the collapse of his patients" when it comes time for renewal. "Often, in the first few months, they sleep again, regain their zest for life, and re-engage in social relationships. And then, when the procedures begin, it feels like starting all over again. I see it with patients who were quite stable, who, when it comes to the renewal procedures, collapse like a house of cards," he testified in the report.

These procedures are traumatic because, the report notes, "people seeking to renew their residency permits are met with a complete lack of response from the administration." Thus, without a response or the possibility of speaking directly to the prefecture services, "some people find themselves trapped in a long-term situation of irregularity." Some people do not obtain their residency permits in time, thereby falling into irregularity. They risk losing everything, "which can lead them to go into debt to survive and provide for their families." "And this economic vulnerability further affects their mental health," the report indicated.

Since the implementation of online procedures, numerous NGOs and media outlets – including InfoMigrants – have been documenting the ordeal migrants face in their applications.

In an interview with InfoMigrants in March 2026, lawyer Alexandre Delavay made the same observation: "There are also those with legal status who are unable to renew their residency permits. And then, their entire lives collapse because everything else depends on their administrative status. In just a few months, you can be a perfectly integrated foreign national in France and lose everything because of a backlog at the prefectures and a lack of staff."

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'Patients have already postponed appointments with their cardiologist because of their paperwork'

Amnesty International is also calling for urgent measures. Because beyond the impact on mental health, this administrative nightmare can be responsible for more serious health problems. In particular, because the renewal periods keep recurring: "This can lead to delays in diagnosis or treatment for chronic and serious health problems."

"Patients have already postponed appointments with their cardiologist because of their paperwork. People can forget or postpone an important medical appointment, but never an appointment at the prefecture," a general practitioner at the Blosne health center in Rennes said in the report.

To try to address the problem, the Minister of the Interior, Laurent Nuñez, announced on April 10 a "comprehensive plan" to ensure that foreigners with legal status are not deprived of their rights when renewing their residency permits. "The goal is to halve the processing time for residency permits: 55 days on average, compared to 117 last year," the minister explained.

This five-page document emphasizes "the priority" of "combating lapses in rights" during the renewal of residency permits, "particularly for those involved in professional immigration." In its directive, the Ministry of the Interior also recommends automating the renewal of temporary residence permits.

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