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Casablanca – The Consul General of Italy in Casablanca, Marco Silvi, has announced a two-week suspension of appointments for family reunification visas through the subcontracting company TLSContact, citing technological readjustments against specific fraud.
In an official recorded statement released on September 9, the Italian diplomat confirmed taking note of “widespread mediation practices to obtain appointments at the TLSContact service center in Casablanca.”
Citing testimonials regarding “fraudulent and illegal practices” in exchange for money, particularly on social media, Silvi said: “By all the means at our disposal, we will fight against these practices which are contrary to the law and which impact the applicants.”
He added that the interim suspension will allow for the reinstatement of appointments made by family reunification applicants first and the release of slots discovered to have been fraudulently booked through intermediaries.
This two-week appointment suspension will also allow for opening additional visa appointments on closing dates, Silvi noted, stressing that other categories of visa applications will not be affected by the measure.
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The Italian diplomat’s initiative comes in response to a number of complaints about application processing delays, some of which included tourist or professional visas.
Over the months, many expressed frustration with the processing of applications for family reunification visas, noting that the waiting period could last up to eight months, sometimes causing documents to expire without even being processed.
Some frustrated applicants claim they were forced to pay up to MAD 2,700 ($253.5) to intermediaries to acquire an appointment within an acceptable time frame.
In his recorded statement, Silvi decried the fact that many applicants have had to pay considerable sums of money to secure visa appointments. Getting appointments is free, he said, adding that illicit actions by intermediaries only cause further, unnecessary delays in regularly scheduled appointments.
