Marrakech - Algerian authorities announced that Moroccan residents of Algeria will no longer be able to obtain permanent resident visas, and will have to apply for new visas and renew them every three months.
The decision, allegedly made due to security concerns, will apply to all Moroccans who live in Algeria, and those who currently have permanent visas will need to replace them with new ones. Moroccans who reside in Algeria will need to submit their work certificates in order to obtain a new visa, according to Hespress.
However, Moroccans who are married to native Algerians are not included in this measure. They will have to replace their visas only every two years.
Moroccans who fail to replace their resident visas will face the risk of deportation to Morocco.
The Algerian Interior Ministry argued that this measure was taken because of “the involvement of some Moroccans and Tunisians in smuggling operations or joining terrorist groups."
The Ministry reportedly added that Algeria hopes to gain all possible data about Moroccans and Tunisians who live in its territory.
In contrast to Algeria’s treatment of Moroccan nationals resident in Algeria, Algerian nationals who live in Morocco carry resident cards that need to be renewed only every 10 years, without submitting any certificate of work.
