France Humiliates High Profile Moroccan Visa Applicants: Pressure for a Governmental Reaction

The French authorities refuse to grant entry visas to many Moroccan citizens, including political figures, doctors, businessmen, intellectuals, artists, and senior cadres, amid a silent crisis between the two countries.

Sources estimate the number of visas rejected for Moroccans at about 70 percent, while France earns 100 euros for each visa, whether accepted or rejected by its consulates in Morocco.

The parliamentary representative of the ninth district for French abroad, Karim Sheikh, sent a message to the Paris government, warning that only Moroccan citizens pay the price of the diplomatic crisis between Morocco and France.

From her side, the MP Fatima al-Tamani asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the refusal of applications without reasonable justifications while extracting huge sums of money. She explained that the ban of Moroccan doctors from attending the ophthalmology conference in France aroused great resentment among them, due to the lack of logical reasons for the refusal, in addition to depriving many Moroccans of visas without reasonable justification, knowing that the consulate extracts visa duties.

The parliamentarian noted that it seems that France is moving towards reducing the granting of visas in the future, a logic surrounded by a lot of ambiguity and lack of clarity, especially with the French embassy continuing to collect fees and duties imposed and earning huge sums without processing the applications in time.

Fatima al-Tamani inquired about the measures taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to correct this situation to protect visa applicants from the humiliation they are subjected to. She asked the government to provide as much assistance as possible regarding the student's visa within reasonable deadlines so that the delay of the visa does not hinder the process of joining their schools.

 

Humiliating Process

The Moroccan newspaper Al-Massae commented on the visa refusal by stating that years ago, only illegal immigrants were subjected to humiliation by some colonial countries, such as France, with justifications for their illegal presence on its soil. Today, respectable Moroccan high-profile citizens are insulted by the French authorities while seeking to obtain a visa, while France still earns full economic interests in our country, without these interests being met with the slightest respect for Moroccans.

In an interview with Al-Estiklal, the Moroccan activist Khalida Bakkali said: "High profile Moroccans decided to participate in scientific or cultural demonstrations in France, but they received the unjustified refusal of the French consular authorities without the slightest consideration for any minimum level of anything."

She continued its comment: "What is happening to our citizens on the part of the French consular services in Morocco is an insult by all standards, and it is necessary to respond to it with an answer commensurate with the size of the insult that thousands of Moroccans suffer today."

She asked: "What does it mean for French citizens to easily enter our country and for French economic interests to be given priority while Paris does not show the slightest degree of respect for Moroccans?"

Al-Massa newspaper called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to move quickly in the right direction by discussing with the French authorities to resolve this file because things have reached a point of arrogance that is no longer acceptable, according to the newspaper.

The former French government spokesman, Gabriel Attal, made strong statements that shocked the political class in the Maghreb countries, especially those that were colonized by France (Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia), in which he considered that reducing visas is a necessary decision, citing that the Maghreb countries do not agree to take back their unwanted nationals from France.

 

No Reaction

The website Parliament.com stated that France poured money on Moroccans and trampled on their dignity, while Akhannouch's government continues to ignore the "scandal."

Badria Atallah stressed in the website: "As Is it not enough for Akhannouch government that for the first time in the history of French-Moroccan relations, the consulates of France refuse to grant visas to former Moroccan ministers, officials from the OCP, and businessmen from the General Confederation of Contracting. Worst, Moroccans are also prevented from participating in the International Technology Forums."

She noted that "this scandal" was covered by Moroccan and international newspapers while the government was in a deep sleep, even though its president is a businessman, and he is supposed to intervene and call for an urgent government meeting, during which a ministerial emergency committee should take place. Yet, the Prime Minister, according to Badria Atallah, does not care about the issue.

The weekly Jeune Afrique also addressed the issue by saying that there is a feeling of "humiliation" among many in Morocco, embodied in testimonies on social networks, criticizing the behavior of the French diplomacy in the face of the increasing number of visa applications rejected for Moroccan citizens.

It is worth noting that the difficulty of obtaining an entry visa to France had worsened since September 2021, when the Paris government decided to halve the number of visas granted to Algerians and Moroccans and by 30 percent to Tunisians. This measure aimed to pressure the three countries' governments to grant more consular permits to their citizens subject to deportation procedures from French territory.

 

Feeling Angry

The French-language website Le Monde Afrique also addressed the issue, writing that official France is closing its doors in the face of Moroccans with no refund in case of refusal. It feels like playing the lottery," according to the aforementioned website.

On virtual social networks, many people announced their decision to move away from France, including former winners of the prestigious French School Awards, francophone artists, and layers of the political elite. They now prefer to apply for visas from other countries such as Spain, Italy, or Belgium.

The French Ambassador to Morocco, Helen Le Gall, had announced a 50 percent reduction in visa grants to Maghreb citizens, but this rate is actually about 70 percent for Moroccans, according to what the Le Monde Afrique ​​website noted.

It pointed out that in 2019, 3 million and 46 thousand Moroccans managed to obtain a French visa, while the number did not exceed 98 thousand visas in 2020, knowing that the issue cannot be explained by the Covid-19 virus only.