Moroccans face unfair Schengen visa system, says ambassador Sitail

Moroccans face a irritating and unfair state of affairs when making use of for Schengen visas, in keeping with Morocco’s Ambassador to France, Samira Sitail. 

In a current interview on the French channel TV5, Sitail referred to as out the “indecency” of the present system, noting the excessive charges charged no matter visa approval and the numerous variety of rejections confronted by Moroccan candidates.

Sitail identified the monetary burden positioned on Moroccans, saying that candidates are required to pay a hefty €90 charge for every visa software, even when their request is in the end denied. This charge construction, she stated, lacks equity.  

Beyond the monetary burden, issues linger concerning the system’s transparency. Many candidates, together with Moroccans, really feel they’re left in the dead of night concerning the causes behind visa denials.

Sitail confused the necessity for a extra clear course of, stating that some candidates don’t even know if their software will probably be authorized although they submit all of the required paperwork and extra.

This lack of transparency fuels frustration, with some Moroccans reporting lengthy ready occasions for selections on their functions. The state of affairs is additional difficult by a restricted variety of out there appointment slots.  

Desperate for an opportunity to submit their functions, some Moroccans resort to paying intermediaries for assist securing appointments, including one other layer of monetary pressure.

Sitail stated that the present system’s opacity and excessive rejection charges increase issues about its equity in direction of African candidates typically. The state of affairs, she stated, damages the credibility of all the Schengen visa program.

With a staggering 310,057 functions filed in 2023 alone, France stays the highest vacation spot for Moroccan Schengen visa functions. But the rejection fee of over 18% paints an image of a system that leaves many candidates feeling unfairly excluded.

Following France, Spain and Belgium have been the subsequent hottest locations for Moroccans looking for Schengen visas. In 2023, a considerable variety of functions have been submitted to those international locations: 189,126 to Spain and 15,192 to Belgium.