Rabat – Applying for a Schengen visa has become a nightmare for many Moroccan applicants, who continue to face challenges related to appointment openings, delays, and unjustified rejections.
The issue of Schengen visa dilemmas has come to the surface again, with many converging reports describing a difficult situation facing Moroccans applying for these visas.
This includes stories of applicants that have complained about manipulation exercised by intermediaries or brokers who book all appointments and then resell them on the black market.
Moroccan newspaper Al Akhbar zoomed into the situation earlier this week, highlighting the situation of several Moroccan students who enrolled in European universities to complete their studies.
The newspaper stressed that the phenomenon of brokers constitutes an “infernal obstacle in front of students who are called upon to travel within very specific deadlines to complete administrative and other formalities” at their target universities.
Earlier this year, Schengen Visa Info highlighted the same issue and brokers’ attempts to take over application appointments.
“Brokers scheduling Schengen visa appointments has become a common practice in Morocco, and this activity is putting Moroccan travelers at a disadvantage,” the source said in May.
The brokers reportedly use automated bots to reserve appointments to later sell them with extravagant prices that can reach up to €1,000.
“Such activity isn’t necessarily criminal, as, in fact, it isn’t illegal to reserve several appointments nor to sell them, but this phenomenon causes Moroccans to pay higher prices to book an appointment and impacts the visa centers authorised to receive visa applications,” Schengen Visa Info said.
Many have expressed concerns as the phenomenon threatens to worsen an already fragile dilemma related to systematic rejections of Moroccan applications – particularly in French and Spanish consulates.
Statistics from Schengen Visa Info in May said that Morocco is in the top 10 of African countries that spent the most on rejected Schengen visa applications in 2022.
Moroccan applicants spent a total of $10.50 million on applications in 2022. The number includes an overall rejection rate of over 28% with 119,000 out of 423,000 applications rejected.
“Many African travelers face complex procedures, lengthy waiting times, and also high rates of visa denials,” noted Schengen Visa Info.
Schengen Visa Statistics shared similar data in May, saying that out of over 160,000 visa applications to France over 50,000 were rejected, setting the country’s rejection rate at nearly 32%.
Spain also rejected over 50,000 of its nearly 200,000 applications.
This comes amid frustration from Moroccan applicants, particularly after France announced its controversial decision to slash the number of visas to Moroccan applicants by half in 2021.
In mid-December 2022, France claimed that it restored full consular services with the North African country. However, Moroccans’ continued concerns and frustration over delayed appointments and unjustified rejections disputed France’s claims.
