France resolved visa issues with Algeria, minister says

French interior minister Gerald Darmanin said yesterday that Paris had resolved visa issues with Algeria.

Darmanin told reporters in the Algerian capital, Algiers, that French-Algerian consular relations would “return to normal.” His remarks came after a meeting with his Algerian counterpart, Brahim Merad, during a three-day official trip to the North African country.

In October 2021, Paris said it would “significantly reduce” the number of visas granted to Algerian, Moroccan and Tunisian nationals, claiming that it was due to the North African governments’ refusal to provide consular permits for their citizens to be deported from France.

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The consular permit in question is a document issued by a consulate for an irregular immigrant to allow them to return to their home country without a valid passport. It is granted after local diplomatic authorities confirm the nationality of the person.

According to French media, 7,731 deportation orders were issued against Algerian nationals between January and July 2021, 597 of whom were arrested, while the Algerian authorities signed consular permits for the return of 31.

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