Official Government Action Against Selling Visa Appointments
An official response was issued by the Algerian authorities, represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, on the issue of the scarcity of appointments for submitting visa files for a number of European countries from the “Schengen” area in particular, at a time when the company “PLS International”, the service provider for submitting Spanish visas, announced the availability of daily appointments starting at 8 pm through its center in Oran.
This comment came through the ministry’s response to a written question from the Assembly’s community representative of the Movement for a Society of Peace, Abdelwahab Yaakoubi, which was reviewed by “Echorouk”, indicating that there are illegal practices related to the sale of visa application submission appointments at foreign centers located in our country, stressing that these are practices “used by suspicious individuals through various means in order to financially blackmail our citizens, in exchange for enabling them to obtain the required appointments”.
The response explained that combating these shameful practices has become a priority for its competent services at the level of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the National Community Abroad, as the latter periodically alerts the foreign diplomatic missions concerned in the event of such violations, urging them to work to ensure respect for the national legislation in force in this area, as well as providing all possible facilities to Algerian citizens in the field of processing visa applications in accordance with the principle of reciprocity.
According to the Algerian Foreign Ministry, this awareness-raising work towards the various foreign embassies accredited to our country has yielded good results to date.
On the one hand, as the response confirms, some of them have taken technical measures to create websites that enable Algerian citizens to submit and follow up on visa applications directly without resorting to intermediaries, and on the other hand, it has been recorded that some foreign diplomatic centers have filed lawsuits against persons involved in cases of extortion and fraud at the level of the centers concerned.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs underscored that the Ministry, within the limits of the powers granted to it under the laws and regulations in force, will continue its efforts in coordination with the competent national departments and bodies, in order to combat this dangerous phenomenon “and ensure optimal treatment that preserves the dignity of our citizens and protects their rights before the diplomatic missions accredited to Algeria.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs concluded its response by stressing the continuation of its awareness-raising efforts towards these missions, in order to urge them to show a sense of responsibility and adhere to the laws of the country of accreditation, and to the relevant rules of international law, in particular the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
MP Abdelwaheb Yaakoubi had raised in the text of his question the presence of Algerian branches of international service companies concerned with the initial study of the completion of visa application files in several cities, noting that these companies, which are also present in different countries, practice administrative activities to relieve pressure on foreign consular services in our country, which ultimately have the sovereign decision to grant or reject a visa.
The deputy of the community (Paris) from the Movement for a Society of Peace added that, unfortunately, the phenomenon of selling these appointments through intermediaries or travel agencies or even suspicious persons via social media has recently spread, explaining that these gangs exploit the urgent need for travel for some of our citizens for various reasons (treatment, tourism, business, study and internships), to engage in illegal speculation by selling appointments illegally and at exorbitant prices, with the price of an appointment exceeding 100,000 dinars, taking those concerned as easy prey, so that they can only submit their applications and not obtain the visa itself.
According to Mr. Yaakoubi, and without talking about the manifestations of humiliation of our citizens in front of the headquarters of these companies with queues outside their headquarters, forcing them to pay additional amounts to benefit from a high-end paid service (VIP), combating this scourge requires a joint action that includes the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the national community abroad in cooperation with foreign embassies and consulates in Algeria, and the Ministry of Justice, perhaps, by filing a lawsuit from the Attorney General to open an investigation into this file, and the Ministry of Commerce within the framework of combating fraud and the failure of these service companies to respect the specifications and transparency of management.
The text of the question of MP Yaakoubi was as follows: “What are the urgent measures that your government intends to take to stop this scourge and to ensure optimal treatment that preserves the dignity of our citizens and protects their money?”
In a related context, the service provider “PLS” for the Spanish visa announced that customers who rely on the center to submit applications for a Spanish visa in Oran, as of Saturday, September 7, 2024, new appointments will be opened every day at eight o’clock (20:00) in the evening.
The BLS Center warned in a statement on its official website against fake channels and campaigns on social media platforms, claiming to be affiliated with the Spanish Visa Application Center or the center’s employees, and spreading fake news about operations, stressing that the only official channel for booking an appointment is the free website that does not require intermediaries.
