France Gains From Rejecting Visa Applications For Algerians

A parliamentary question in the French National Assembly, the lower house of parliament, revealed the huge amount of money earned by French consulates in Algeria after rejecting visa files.

The sum reached 13 million euros (equivalent to DZD 575 billion) for files destined to be rejected, which means that Algerians did neither obtain visas nor compensation.

These details were revealed through questioning by the MP Nadége Abomangoli, from the France Insoumise party, the New Popular Front (LFI-NUPES), addressed to the interior minister, Bruno Retailleau, in the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier, regarding the high rate of rejecting Schengen visas to citizens of African countries by French consulates.

The question stated that many African applicants for short-stay Schengen visas have their applications rejected, despite the significant investment in time and money for preparing their documents and paying visa fees.

The LFI-NUPES MP pointed out that a survey conducted in this regard by a website specializing in news about European visas “Schengen News” showed that African applicants paid 56 million euros for the French visa files. In 2023, African nationals received 704,000 negative responses to their visa applications, representing 41.3% of the amount generated by rejected applications in French consulates worldwide.

MP Nadége Abomangoli explained in her question that “the financial burden of these requests for nationals of African countries is set to increase further with a +12.5% in the cost of short-term visas since June 11, 2024. According to a study by the European Union Observer, which is a news media about Europe, African and Asian countries account for 90% of all costs related to rejected Schengen visas”.

“Algeria leads these countries with 13 million euros spent on rejected visas in 2023, then Morocco, with nearly 11 million euros and Egypt with 3.75 million euros invested by nationals of these countries in rejected Schengen visa application”, she added.

Added to the financial costs of rejected applications is a question of data processing, the MP Nadège Abomangoli asserted, based on the fact that visa applications require the submission of a significant amount of personal information to consular authorities and particularly to companies involved in outsourcing the examination of visa applications. After an application is refused, the applicant has no indication of how their personal data will be processed, which raises a question of protection of their privacy.

The Member of Parliament asked what the justifications for a high rate of refusal of visa applications from nationals of African States are and how the personal data of applicants is processed by the companies subcontracting the examination of visa applications.

Finally, she asked “What elements allow one to doubt the intention of an African applicant to return to his country of residence at the end of the Schengen visa?”, Noting that this reason is usually the most common argument by French consulates for refusing to grant a visa, as they claim each time that there is no tangible evidence confirming that the applicant will return to his/her country when his/her visa expires.

No response has been yet provided by the French interior ministry about this long-existing question, especially among Algerians for many years.