Saturday, January 28, 2023 – 09:29
About 143,000 Moroccan men and women received visas to enter France last year, coming in second only to Indians who received 158,000 visas.
According to data released by the French Interior Ministry, the number of visas issued to Moroccans increased by about 105.9 percent last year compared to 2021, when the number was just 69,409 visas, a first at the time.
And compared to 2019, when Moroccans received 346,000 visas, as the base year before the coronavirus pandemic, the rate of issuance of visas to Moroccans dropped by 58 percent last year.
And France decided last year to halve its visas to Moroccans, saying the authorities were not cooperating on the return of illegal immigrants, which Rabat denied, so it escalated into a silent crisis, the effects of which are still lingering to this day.
A number of Moroccans wishing to travel to France for necessary reasons such as study, medical treatment or training have been affected by the decision to halve their visas, sparking widespread condemnation in Paris with a boycott campaign. in favor of other areas.
Over the past year, Algerians came in third with 131,000 visas, followed by Turks with 103,000, followed by Chinese with 99,579 visas, then Saudis with 91,758 visas.
In total, France issued 1.7 million visas last year, compared to 733,000 in 2021 and 712,000 in 2019. French visa issuance rates have not returned to previous levels, especially in 2019 and 2018, when the number of visas issued was around 3.3 million. foreigners annually.
