The Ambassador of Morocco to France, Samira Sitail, has called on the Schengen member states to address the visa issues that Moroccans are facing.
According to Ambassador Sitail, nationals of Morocco pay a high amount in fees each year when applying for a Schengen visa, but a large number of them continue to receive a negative decision on their application, Schengen.News reports
Taking into account the obstacles that Moroccans continue to deal with, Ambassador Sitail said that this situation must be handled and, at the same time, called the entire visa practice “indecent”.
In addition, Ambassador Sitail said that the credibility of the Schengen visa issuance system, specifically for nationals of African countries, is at stake, urging immediate action.
Moroccans Continuously Complain About Long Waiting Times & Strict Rules for French Schengen Visa
Passport holders of Morocco continuously complain about the strict visa rules when applying for France’s Schengen visa.
Just recently, some Moroccans said that they feel wronged by the French authorities as they have to wait long periods of time to receive a decision on their applications.
Moroccans have also complained about France unfairly denying their visa applications. Some of them said that they never know if their application will be approved even though they submit all the required documents and more.
In addition to the above-mentioned, some applicants also complained about the limited number of appointments, which is pushing them to ask for the help of intermediaries in exchange for money.
According to the applicants, they need to pay large amounts of money to the intermediaries just to be able to secure an appointment for them. They called the current situation not normal and urged the authorities to take measures.
Moroccans Filed Over 310,000 French Schengen Visa Applications Last Year
Data from the Schengen Statistics portal show that France was the leading Schengen country where Moroccans submitted their Schengen visa applications in 2023.
Last year, Moroccan passport holders filed a total of 310,057 French Schengen visa applications.
Of the total number of Moroccans who submitted an application for a French visa, 251,950 of them received a positive response, while 55,615 had their application rejected.
After France, Moroccans filed the highest number of applications to Spain and Belgium. In 2023, Moroccans filed 189,126 Spanish Schengen visa applications and 15,192 Belgian Schengen visa applications.
Source: https://schengen.news/moroccan-ambassador-to-france-urges-for-fairer-schengen-visa-process/
