Overview

• The French embassy in Algiers publicized about 8,400 student visas for the 2025 intake, roughly 1,000 more than in 2024, with an acceptance rate reported near 87%.
• The Interior Ministry says it was not informed of the move and is now seeking exclusive control over visa attribution, challenging the Quai d'Orsay’s lead.
• Foreign Affairs officials frame student visas as part of France’s attractiveness strategy and say the overall level is within recent norms, while asserting that Algerian officials face tighter restrictions including fewer visas in 2025.
• Right‑wing figures, including Éric Ciotti and Marion Maréchal, condemned the increase and argued the student channel functions as a legal route for migration.
• The decision lands during a tense period in France–Algeria relations, with Algeria’s limited readmission of deportees and continued detention of writer Boualem Sansal and French journalist Christophe Gleizes.