Visa Hurdles: Algerians Face Steepest Challenges in Maghreb for French Entry

Out of the 3.4 million applications - 900,000 fewer than the peak in 2019 just before the Covid-19 pandemic - submitted in 2024, the French consular services issued a total of nearly 2.9 million visas, including 2.6 million short-stay (90%) and 290,000 long-stay, for a refusal rate of only 15%, according to a detailed information report on the issuance of visas by French consular services abroad, carried out by Senators Nathalie Goulet and Rémi Féraud, on behalf of the Senate Finance Committee. With 562,000 entry visas to France in 2024 compared to 735,000 visas in 2019, China is largely, despite this decline, at the top of the applications and issuances.

The Chinese are followed by nationals of countries "with large diasporas in France". With 283,000 visas obtained in 2024, Moroccans occupy the second place in the ranking. They are followed by Algerians (250,095 visas obtained, of which 11.6% are long-stay visas). Nationals of India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey respectively take the fourth, fifth and sixth place. Then come the nationals of Russia, Tunisia, Lebanon. The Filipinos complete the top 10.

However, what is striking is that Algerians were the most penalized in the Maghreb in 2024. "For the three Maghreb countries, the refusal rates are 34.8% for Algeria, 21.2% for Tunisia and 12.5% for Morocco," the French Senate report further states.