the galley of many Algerian nationals

It is no longer so easy for an Algerian national to obtain a visa allowing them to stay in France. Since the diplomatic crisis of October 2021, against the backdrop of litigation concerning the readmission of Algerian nationals deemed undesirable in France, the French State has reduced by 50% the number of Schengen visas granted to Algerians.

A situation that has consequences for the more than five million Algerians who live in France as Emmanuel Macron begins a three-day visit to Algeria from this Thursday. Facing the tracks of line 2 of the aerial metro, in Paris, inside the Royal café, everyone is talking about Emmanuel Macron’s trip to Algiers. Here, a large part of the clientele is from this country, and encounters difficulties in obtaining a visa, whether for themselves or for their families.

Septi, haven’t seen his in over a year. “I have a cousin, for 10 years, he comes to France often. But recently, he submitted his complete file, as before. He even had his ticket to come to France, stay 15 days and return to Algeria. But finally , they refused the visa”, he regrets.

A transit via Vienna, before reaching France

So to obtain a Schengen visa, some Algerians go through other European countries to enter France. Yatérichi, a master’s student in communication, traveled to Paris from Oran, via Vienna in Austria.

An often long and expensive journey, often financially inaccessible. Consequently, in the district, attendance has halved in one year. Hamden, manager of the center’s butcher’s shop, sees this in his activity. “The trade has decreased by 50% because there is not a lot of circulation”, he notes.

Many here like Hamden said they expect a lot from this presidential trip. They hope that Emmanuel Macron will do what is necessary to reconcile “their two nations”.