Luxembourg's Foreign Affairs Ministry has denied the renewal of Iranian artist Alborz Teymoorzadeh's residence permit, citing insufficient financial resources and a lack of economic value amid widespread outrage from the country's cultural institutions.

Alborz Teymoorzadeh, an Iranian national who arrived in Luxembourg as a student, was recently refused a renewal of his residence permit, sparking a wave of online criticism and forcing the Foreign Affairs Ministry to officially explain its decision on Monday evening. The man, who is currently working in Luxembourg as an artist, will thus be forced to leave the Grand Duchy, that despite having received excellent references in the sector.

Ministry officials pointed out that the law on immigration stipulates that a third-country national "must provide proof of sufficient personal resources to obtain a residence permit", further specifying that "this condition applies to all, regardless of the occupation in which they work".

Teymoorzadeh initially applied for a residence permit as a self-employed person but reportedly "failed to provide proof" of the conditions required to establish himself as an independent.

The Ministry accordingly elaborated on the criteria set out in the law for assessing self-employed activity: "The pursuit of the activity in question must serve the interests of the country, which is assessed in terms of economic usefulness, i.e. meeting an economic need, integration into the national or local economic context, viability and sustainability of the business project, job creation, investment, particularly in research and development, innovative activity or specialisation, or in terms of social or cultural interest."

Teymoorzadeh eventually made a second application to register as an employee. However, being only on a part-time contract, he "failed" to prove that he had sufficient personal resources. "The authorisation was therefore refused", the Ministry wrote in its statement.