France Tightens Visa Restrictions for Moroccans, Sparking Outrage

Angry, Moroccans denounce this visa policy of France. "It’s not tomorrow that I’ll reapply. It will take me time to heal from this offense," confides to BFMTV a 67-year-old Moroccan retiree, "disgusted" after having tried in vain to obtain a visa to visit her youngest son who is pursuing his higher education in Savoy. Residing in Marrakech, this former French language and literature teacher has nevertheless made several tourist trips to France where her eldest son also lives.

The reasons given for refusing her the visa are at least surprising. There is talk of "unreliable information" about the purpose and conditions of the stay, and "reasonable doubts" about her willingness to "leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa." For the retiree, this decision is "arbitrary," specifying that she had "nevertheless provided the statements of her current account, her savings account, a reception certificate made in the rules by her eldest son."

"My round-trip plane ticket was purchased, accommodation had been booked to spend holidays together, the visa fees had been paid. All for nothing. I’m angry," she indignantly says.

Since September 2021, France has decided to halve the number of visas granted to Moroccan and Algerian citizens, and by 30% those granted to Tunisians. This is to get these three countries to cooperate for the return of their nationals in an irregular situation in France. The measure, deemed "unjustified" by Morocco, caused controversy this summer after the visa refusal to Moroccan rapper El Grande Toto who had to cancel his concert in Sète.

A few months earlier, a delegation of Moroccan ophthalmologists was unable to attend a world congress, for lack of visas. Within Moroccan society, these "absurd" visa refusals, in the words of Christian Cambon, president of the France-Morocco friendship group, arouse indignation. "This measure applies without any discernment, it makes no sense. Morocco, a friendly country [...], takes this matter very seriously. It is very humiliating for Moroccans. The visa issue is going to become a real obstacle to any discussion and on any subject with the country," warns the LR senator.

The president of the Franco-Moroccan Association for Human Rights (AFMDH), Youssef El Idrissi El Hassani, accuses France of pursuing an "unjust" policy towards Moroccans. "France wants to make the Moroccan government pay, but what does the people have to do with all this?" he wonders. Bel Miloudi El Kebir, a member of the central office of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH) and a representative for the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), is just as outraged after having suffered two visa refusals. "It is an attack on dignity... I was deprived of the right to see my granddaughter. It’s a shame for France," he protests.