Schengen Visas: “Algerians top the list in Africa”

The European Agency “Frontex” in charge of monitoring the borders of EU countries, revealed in its latest report that Algerians are the first in number in Africa to have secured the Schengen visa for a short stay in 2015.

It also stated that this number does not include visa applicants for long stays, students and weddings.

According to the report, the Algerians topped the list with 430,000 visas, followed by Egyptians and Tunisians with 150,000 visas.

Furthermore, the report noted that the number of harraga or illegal migrants from Algeria to Spain had decreased significantly since 2013 thanks to the efficient cooperation on the matter between the Algerian and Spanish authorities.

According to the “Frontex” report, there were 1,450 harraga or illegal migrants in 2013, of which 390 were deported to Algeria in 2014  with 800 of them being expelled and in 2015, 380 harraga succeeded in  reaching the Spanish coast but all of them were forcibly turned back.