- France aims to restore visa issuance to two hundred fifty thousand annually for Algerian nationals.
- Consular staffing is being increased to shorten appointment wait times starting in summer twenty twenty-six.
- The move follows a prolonged diplomatic crisis involving migration disputes and suspended visa exemptions.
France’s ambassador to Algeria said the government wants to restore annual visa issuance to the level reached before the diplomatic crisis, setting a target of 250,000 visas for Algerian nationals.
Stéphane Romatet made the comments in an interview published July 14, 2026, roughly two months after returning to Algiers. He described the plan as part of an Élysée Palace effort to re-engage Algeria through “trust and concrete acts.”
“Before the crisis, we issued about 250,000 visas per year. This number dropped. our goal is. to probably return to the level prior to the crisis,”
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Romatet did not present the figure as a new fixed quota. He described it as the level French authorities want to reach again.
Issuances to Algerians fell 18.3% in 2025 compared with 2024. The ambassador linked the difficulties to consular staffing and appointment capacity, rather than solely to political instructions.
Restored consular staffing is meant to shorten the wait
Romatet said understaffing contributed to high refusal rates and long waits for appointments in 2025. French authorities are restoring staffing levels, with the aim of making appointments easier to obtain from summer 2026.
The change targets access first. It does not erase the earlier decline.
The French government is also prioritizing business and study applicants. Those categories represented 48.7% of long-term visas, according to the figures cited in the policy context surrounding the interview.
That focus gives the proposed increase an economic and educational dimension. It also places consular operations at the center of the effort, since appointment availability and staffing affect how many applications can be processed.
The visa plan follows a wider diplomatic reset
The proposed return to pre-crisis issuance comes after a period of strained relations. In August 2025, France suspended visa exemptions for Algerian diplomats, a decision the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs described as “unacceptable blackmail.”
Cooperation on illegal migration and deportations had stalled since late 2024. Restoring routine visa processing is now being presented alongside efforts to secure renewed Algerian cooperation on those issues.
The two governments have not resolved every dispute. Visa policy is one part of a broader diplomatic relationship involving security, justice, immigration, diplomacy and the economy.
Romatet’s interview covered those areas at length. It did not address the case of French journalist Christophe Gleizes, who remains imprisoned in Algeria.
Gleizes case remains outside the visa announcement
The omission leaves a separate point of tension alongside the proposed visa expansion. The French conservative opposition has continued to criticize the handling of Gleizes’ imprisonment.
His case was not included in the ambassador’s discussion of the diplomatic roadmap. The visa target therefore advances without a public resolution of one of the most sensitive issues between Paris and Algiers.
The immediate test will be operational. French consular staffing is expected to improve during summer 2026, while the government works toward restoring the pre-crisis annual issuance level.
Romatet’s wording leaves the timing and final volume open. The stated objective is to “probably return to the level prior to the crisis,” rather than guarantee that the target will be reached in a specific year.
