Lebanese nationals who have entered France on tourist visas and whose documents have expired are urging the country to extend their visas.
Such a call comes given the security situation in Lebanon due to the war, with its nationals feeling unsafe going back, Schengen.News reports.
Since September, when Israel escalated its conflict with Hezbollah, a large number of Lebanese nationals have travelled to France.
However, the visas of many Lebanese nationals have expired, leaving them in an irregular state in the territory of France.
Gisèle Daccache, who is a 70-year-old Lebanese, has been staying in France with an expired visa for two weeks now. Her visa expired on October 15. She is still waiting for the French authorities to authorise her stay extension. Nonetheless, since the authorities have not yet made any decision on her case, it means that she is currently in France in an irregular situation.
She further stressed that together with her son, they have tried multiple ways to regularise her situation in France, but they have been sent from one authority to another without being able to do anything about their situation.
Several other Lebanese who are in the same situation are also calling on the authorities to regularise their stay in the country.
Another Lebanese, who is 76 years old, came to France to visit her daughter. Her visa has now expired, too, but due to the situation in her home country, she is continuing to stay in France despite not having the needed documentation.
Her daughter said she had sent multiple emails to relevant authorities and made numerous calls, but nothing has worked so far.
Lebanese Embassy in Paris Has Received Over 350 Extension Requests From Its Nationals
Data from the French Ministry of Interior show that at the end of 2023, more than 104,000 visas and 30,000 residence permits were issued to Lebanese nationals.
While the number of valid visas does not indicate that all those who hold the document are in France, it is still believed that a large number of this nationality have entered the country on the basis of their tourist visa.
The Lebanese Embassy in Paris recently shared that it has received about 350 requests for the extension of their stay in France. The Embassy said that they are trying to resolve this issue with the French Ministry of Interior and make it possible for those whose visas have expired to continue remaining in France regularly.
Source: https://schengen.news/lebanese-nationals-urge-france-to-extend-their-expired-visas-amid-lebanons-security-crisis/
