Visa Restrictions Hit Franco-Moroccans Hardest, Says French Deputy

"Today, you have 80% of French citizens residing abroad who are dual nationals. They are the first to suffer from this visa restriction," explains the elected official to Le360. France continues to issue visas to applicants, but rigor is the order of the day. "When a file is incomplete, not filled out properly, there is a systematic refusal," he points out. To illustrate his point, he gives the example of hotel reservations. "When you submit your visa application with, for example, a hotel reservation when you are staying with friends or family, it is considered a rejection criterion. And if you are staying with someone, you need a letter from the town hall stating this, not just a handwritten letter. Before, it was tolerated, now it is no longer accepted," he specifies.

M’jid El Guerrab also spoke about the validity of the French visa, which was four years. Now, "the validity of the visa often and strictly corresponds to the duration of the stay," he informs. He remains hopeful that the issue of visa issuance will be resolved. However, Morocco must meet one sine qua non condition. "France is asking for cooperation in terms of immigration. That is to say, when an illegal immigrant in France, who has committed an offense or is about to be classified as a security risk, the host country he left should take him back, as was the case in 2020."