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Rabat – Moroccan travelers benefited the most from French-issued Schengen visas in 2020, according to data compiled by Schengen Visa Info.
The website said that travelers from Morocco secured 98,627 Schengen visas in the past year, followed by Russians (78,701), Algerians (73,276), and Chinese travelers (71,451).
In total, the French government issued 712,317 visas in 2020, with Schengen Visa Info pointing out that the figures represent a “significant” decrease in the number of visas compared to 2019 data.
In 2019, France issued 3,534,999 visas, but the outbreak of COVID-19 and the far-reaching repercussions the virus has had on global exchanges have significantly affected international travels.
2020 alone recorded a decline of 79.8 % in the number of visas France issued.
“While the figures marked a lower drop for long-visas or 37.7 in total, the short-stay visas declined by 82.9 percent for Schengen visa applications,” Schengen Visa Info said.
For its part, the French Ministry of Interior attributed the decrease to COVID-19.
With COVID-19 continuing to spread, governments across the world introduced special measures to limit the spread of contamination.
“In addition, international travel has been affected by the lack of air links and the closure of many borders. As a result, China, traditionally the first country of origin for visa holders, moved to fourth place, behind Morocco, Russia, and Algeria,” said the French interior ministry.
In 2020, the number of first-time residence permits issued by French authorities also declined by 20.9%.
The decrease notably affected family immigration, “which represents the most significant part of the migration flow,” Shengen Visa Info explained.
The interior ministry said that the issue is linked to the “fact that part of the family titles is attributed to people already staying in the territory when they apply for the title.”
