"I want to stay here, it's my way of giving back what I received": Rayen, a medical student under OQTF, victim of the Retailleau circular

The apprentice in the white coat can finally release the pressure. Rayen Fakhfakh, a 21-year-old Tunisian, subject to an order to leave French territory (OQTF), was promised a one-year temporary residence permit in early June. Media mobilization, based on press articles and public statements from colleagues, helped turn the tide.

But this fifth-year medical student hasn't forgotten the "total shock" he felt when he received his expulsion notice at the end of February. "When I went to pick up the registered letter at the post office, I expected anything but this," laments the man, who also received support from his Paris-Saclay university.

Carried by this wave of indignation, the studious young man initially obtained, via a suspension order, the cancellation of this OQTF and a provisional residence permit until November. "When I went to collect it, I took the opportunity to return my file to the Seine-Saint-Denis prefecture. I had the impression that it hadn't been read," he explains. " Then, thanks to a journalist who followed my case, I learned that I had finally obtained a permit until May 2026. Things have been much better since then!" he rejoices.

This 16-year-old high school graduate from Sfax, who thought he had ticked all the boxes for a "model" integration, was already familiar with the administrative hassle. Every three months, he had to go to the prefecture to get a receipt. "For my regularization file, I've kept everything for years: every prescription, my bills, notes from my teachers…, " he lists in a calm voice. "When I wanted to submit it when I came of age, it took me more than a year and a half just to get an appointment."

Involved in various associations, established in Seine-Saint-Denis since his arrival at the age of 12 in 2016, Rayen was often reminded of his special status: "I had participated in the organization of a humanitarian trip to Togo but I was unable to go because I cannot leave the country."

In a context of a shortage of doctors , with 212,000 doctors in practice in 2024 (down from 2023) and a vital recourse to practitioners with diplomas from outside the European Union (Padhue) to prevent the collapse of public hospitals, the decision targeting Rayen is all the more incomprehensible: "At the Paul-Brousse hospital (in Villejuif, in Val-de-Marne – Editor's note) where I am doing a resuscitation internship, half of the practitioners are foreign. We know that the number of people trained is insufficient. Once my studies are finished, I want to stay here. It's my way of giving back what I received." Like him, 1,500 to 2,000 foreign medical students, or 6% of the workforce, face administrative difficulties, underlines the information site Caducée.net, quoting a report from the Order of Physicians.

Upon examining the document received by Rayen, Clotilde Maillard, an activist with the Education Without Borders Network (RESF) in Seine-Saint-Denis, was also shocked: "It's a copy-and-paste! In his OQTF, it says he has one brother here when he has two. He is accused of having stayed in France with an expired visa. However, he was a minor at the time and a residence permit is not required before the age of 18! He is also accused of not providing proof of integration or professional prospects, which is ridiculous."

Since the Retailleau circular of January 2025 , which tightened the regularization criteria and replaced the so-called Valls circular which allowed certain 18-year-olds with school attendance to apply for a residence permit after a certain period of time, RESF members have noted a flood of OQTFs in places: "In Montpellier and Lyon, their number is skyrocketing," reports Clotilde Maillard . "Everywhere, the criteria remain completely unclear. We see that, for couples who arrived on the same day, one is regularized and the other must leave the country. Rayen is also a victim of the nauseating political climate."

While the rules instituted by Bruno Retailleau also make it more complicated to regularize the status of people who have already been subject to an OQTF, the man who wants to become an orthopedic surgeon denounces "a widespread suspicion. I read reactions to the various articles about me on social media saying "he must have done something wrong" to be threatened with expulsion! It seems like France wants to get rid of all foreigners." Ready to start his residency exams in the fall, Rayen asks for only one thing: to continue his studies with a minimum of serenity.