Adil Smaali, singer with the Montpellier-based group SimSim, has won the right to stay in France. The judges at the Tribunal Administratif de Montpellier have ruled that the prefecture should issue him with a residence permit within the next two months.
With the threat of expulsion removed, a new life can now begin for Adil and his French girlfriend Anissa.
Adil received massive support from friends, and a large crowd gathered outside the tribunal when his case was examined on November 22.
Adil is well-known on the Montpellier music scene and has been involved in such events as the Internationales de la Guitare and the Festival Arabesques.
When he arrived in France in 2005 on a one-year visa, he was considered as an “isolated minor” and was placed with foster families. At 18, he was further assisted by the local authorities and was given a contract to train as a stage technician. He applied for a residence permit, but received no concrete decision until August this year, when the prefecture told him to leave.