Rabat – France granted fewer visas to Algerians in 2018 than in 2017, according to a report of the General Directorate of Foreigners in France (DGEF) published on January 15.
The French Consul General in Algeria, Marc Sedille, told Algerian state news agency TSA in November that the drop is due to the change of service providers at the beginning of the year and service stopping for almost a month; the introduction of France-Visas, a stricter application system; and the tightening of border controls because of the influx of migrants.
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The number of visas France granted to Algerian nationals fell from 413,976 in 2017 to 297,104 in 2018, a decrease of 28 percent. In contrast, France granted more visas to Moroccans and Tunisians in 2018 than in 2017, according to the French interior ministry.
Moroccan visa approvals increased by 3 percent and Tunisian approvals by 13 percent.
The French Ambassador to Algeria Xavier Driencourt told TSA that President Emmanuel Macron’s state visit in 2018 had been cancelled due to the “yellow vests” protests since November.
Driencourt also said that French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe also cancelled a visit to Algeria scheduled for December 2018. “In December, the government had a number of emergencies to deal with.”
