Over one thousand Algerians scramble daily for securing a Schengen visa

“The Visa File Deposit Center”, or “TLS” located in the district of Ben Aknoun on the heights of Algiers is now daily the venue of a large number of scrambling Algerian citizens eager to fulfill the dream of obtaining a “Schengen Visa” allowing them to travel to European countries.

Women, men and elderly hailing from different regions in search of a visa to the other side of the Mediterranean, have been flocking since the early hours of the morning to the TLS Center daily notably those who rush for treatment and studies abroad, as well as those who care only to enter the airports of Europe for commercial aims by bringing back home the most expensive French brands, and many of them are willing to pay more in exchange for short duration of a visa processing file, but this visa file processing by the relevant services has now been stretching to two full months or more.

“Echorouk” reporters moved to the TLS Contact Center located in Ben Aknoun district to  hear about the complaints expressed about the negative responses received by a large number of citizens and the protracted delays recorded in giving them a date for the approval of the visa, which last up to two months for many  of them.

A long queue of hundreds of people seeking visas, wishing to travel to several European countries including Belgium, Italy and England and especially  France which made the exception because of the huge number of people coming from various central provinces to submit their respective files, as some of them voiced protests against the services of the French consulate which stall the much-awaited replies to their visa requests.

On the subject, many of the people we spoke to us revealed that the period of response to the visa applications has become as long as more than two months. To inquire about the case, an official source at the Application Depository Center told us that the Consulate services are allowing persons wishing to renew their visas without a prior appointment.

*Over a thousand people “invade” daily TLS Contact Center to submit their Schengen visa applications

What is strange is that the TLS contact Center in the capital’s upper district of Ben Aknoun  is witnessing a daily influx of over 1,000 people, half of them heading to France in the first place, followed by England and Italy, although the center remains open all through the week except on weekends.

To find out how to organize and control this huge number of visa-seeking people, we took the opportunity to talk with some persons coming to the TLS Center, who revealed to us that things don’t go on normally. 

In addition to the delay in response, the dates and hours of entry are confused, an adverse situation which leads to brawls in front of the main entrance, where elderly persons and frail children are victims of poor management.

Many of them hail from the neighboring provinces of the capital, and the signs of weariness are evident in their faces, especially since many of them have assured us that they have been standing in the place since the early hours of the morning. The TLS Center is normally set to open at 7:30 a.m.

*Premium services at the TLS Center for a sum of 3,000 dinars

Many businessmen and people who wish to obtain franchise services known as “Premium”, a visa application for the second time without an appointment, find this service, where they can pay the sum of 3,000 dinars to pass without an appointment, which made many of them being classified in the “VIP” category. As result, once they arrive inside the center, the latter get a special treatment and are received in a hall equipped with sofas and air conditioning, despite the fact that the French authorities consider that the filing of visa applications and payment of the rights of registration,  “does not give anyone the right to obtain a visa automatically.”

*”Sun exposure” and an “informal trade” outside the premises of TLS Contact Center

In spite of the suffering endured by many people queuing up endlessly outside the visa filing center due to the delay in response to the visa applications, some venal “opportunists” on the spot don’t waver to exploit the harsh conditions of the citizens coming from remote areas to the TLS Center in order to grab from them some money in exchange for random “parking services” in the vicinity. 

A large number of these citizens expostulated against the high price demanded by these makeshift “parking-lot keepers” for being allowed to park their vehicles nearby, while complaining that all visitors to the TLS center are prohibited from entering the premises with their mobile phones, even if the latter are outside the coverage area, thus forcing them to put their mobile phones in a “booth” at the Center’s entrance in return for a sum of 50 dinars.