The Schengen visa appointment scam is rearing its head again on the internet. A Moroccan woman was defrauded of 10,000 dirhams. Ismail Bellali, Director General of the Interbank Monetary Center (CMI), warns about this practice and advises "never to share banking data."
Many Moroccans are having trouble obtaining a Schengen visa from Spain and France during this vacation period. A period they like to spend abroad.
Spain has extended by one month from this Wednesday, June 15, the measure requiring Moroccans to have a visa before entering Ceuta and Melilla.
Despite Europe’s, particularly France’s, clear desire to restrict the granting of visas to Maghrebians, Morocco is among the major beneficiaries of Schengen visas in 2021 , with 157,100 applications, but a rejection rate estimated at 27.6%.
The Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF) has recently published figures on Moroccan travel in 2019. It appears that Morocco is the 5th country in terms of volume of Schengen visas issued.
For the whole of 2021, the French consulates in Morocco issued 69,408 visas to Moroccan nationals, a figure down 29.6% compared to 2020.
The Ministry of Transport and Logistics met on Wednesday with Moroccan truckers to discuss the problems facing the sector and hampering the smooth running of activities.
Before parliament, the Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, stated that the issuance of French visas to Moroccan international road transport (TIR) drivers has only fallen by 10% compared to 2020.
The visa restrictions imposed by the French authorities on Moroccan carriers are also affecting the Saint-Charles international multimodal platform.
International road hauliers (TIR) are increasingly unable to carry out their activities. The reason is the refusal of the French embassy to grant visas to former carriers, particularly those in the South zone.
France still refuses to grant visas to Moroccan international carriers, thus taking Moroccan exports hostage. The Moroccan Association of Exporters (ASMEX) is sounding the alarm and calling on the Moroccan authorities to urgently unblock the situation.
France’s decision to reduce by 50% the granting of visas for Moroccans and Algerians and by 30% for Tunisians is explained by the tensions between Paris and Algiers.