On Monday 7 October 2024, Luxembourg's Ministry of Home Affairs issued a statement in relation to the refusal to renew an Iranian national's residence permit.
The news broke recently that Luxembourg-based Iranian artist Alborz Teymoorzadeh was facing expulsion from the Grand Duchy. The decision not to renew his residence permit sparked outrage, particularly from Luxembourg's cultural institutions.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said it has "taken note" of the "outcry" caused by this decision. It argued, however, that the immigration law provides that a third-country national "must provide proof of sufficient personal resources in order to obtain a residence permit", regardless of the individual's profession.
The ministry explained that Mr Teymoorzadeh (who was not explicitly named in the press release) had applied for a residence permit as a self-employed person. However, he reportedly failed to prove he met the necessary criteria, namely: "the exercise of the targeted activity must serve the interests of the country, which are assessed in terms of economic utility, that is to say, response to an economic need, integration into the national or local economic context, viability and sustainability of the business project, job creation, investments in particular in research and development, innovative activity or specialisation, or in terms of social or cultural interest".
The ministry added that the individual then submitted a second application as an employee. "To obtain this status, the applicant must also prove, in particular, that they have sufficient personal resources," the officials noted, adding that Mr Teymoorzadeh's part-time contract was not enough to meet this condition.
The relevant committee thus "issued a unanimous opinion that the legal conditions were not met," and "the authorisation was refused", concluded the ministry.
