When will this aberration end?

On September 28, 2021, Paris announced the tightening of its conditions for obtaining visas for Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia by reducing the number of visas granted by more than half. The historical partner of the Kingdom put forward as a reason the ” refusal of these three Maghreb countries to issue the consular passes necessary for the return of immigrants expelled from France.

The announcement of this drastic measure was described by Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, as ” unjustified “. That said, and almost a year after the entry into force of this measure, nothing has changed. Things have even gotten worse affecting all categories of Moroccans, especially those accustomed to going back and forth to France for medical, family, academic or even business reasons. They still don’t understand why they have to pay the price of a ” diplomatic crisis » ambiguous.

After the long and painful procedural battle of filing a visa application, several Moroccan citizens (businessmen, athletes, students, sick elderly people, artists, etc.) have been refused their entry visa to France, which has some 1 .5 million MREs. The Moroccans found themselves not only confronted with the usual complexity of the procedures for obtaining a visa, but also with the unjustified refusal of their request despite a complete file despite the multitude of documents and supporting documents requested (correct bank account, work stable, real estate, etc.).

Not to mention the visa fees, which cost more than 800 Dhs, and the TLS service fee (minimum of 380 dh), both non-refundable. We also deplore the absence of any interaction between the visa applicant and the French consular agents who have been replaced for years now by intermediary agencies whose only reference is a posted note saying ” Visa quota reached ».

After this expression, all requests for this famous ” sesame » who fall on the system of these agencies are refused, regardless of social status, position, or the amount posted in the bank account. France does not want to know anything, starting from the principle that it is necessary to put pressure on the ” smaller » to react to the taller “. But the smallest have constantly denounced this situation without arousing any interest among the leaders.

This measure, which turned out to be counter-productive ” according to analysts and which did not lead to the expected results, pushed Moroccans to be indignant on social networks since it is their business, their health or their career, which is in question.

“My two children live in France. So I’m used to going to see them two or three times a year. But I was more than surprised to see my visa application refused by France, without giving me the slightest reason, even though I have been going there for more than 25 years without any problem. At some point, we will have to question ourselves, where it will push us one day to no longer want to set foot there if this continues since it is a question of our dignity ”, confides to us a 67-year-old bank retiree.

On the other hand, a young Moroccan businessman, who once studied in France after obtaining his baccalaureate, also expressed to MoroccoLatestNews UK his anger at this drastic measure which, according to him, has lasted too long.

“I launched my start-up at the start of the pandemic. I collaborate with several suppliers in Europe, especially in France where I often go. Everything was going well until the announcement of this measure by France. At no time did I feel concerned. For me, the visa application is a formality like any other and there is no reason to refuse it. The shock of this refusal was painful for me, especially since we were given no valid reason. This pushed me to postpone my appointments, to look for other ways to get to my suppliers or to change them altogether. In short, it disrupted my activity which I just started two years ago”tells us this young entrepreneur.

Worse still, artists invited to a biennial in Paris did not have the ” chance “ to attend the event or even see their works exhibited and admired for lack…” obtaining visas“. A situation that prompts reflection.

This measure, widely denounced and qualified as arbitrary, caused a reaction even in France. Thus Yan Chantrel, senator representing the French living outside France, indicated that he had written to Emmanuel Macron about “a subject that is discarded”.

In correspondence dated May 13, 2022, Chantrel explains that the drastic reduction in the number of visas issued by France “raises the question of the reasoning that could justify such figures and such a difference between countries, as they seem arbitrary”.