The Algerian president has announced plans to launch a return program designed to encourage Algerian nationals living illegally abroad to return to their home country.

According to French media reports, Abdelmadjid Tebboune’s latest initiative is primarily intended for young Algerians who are in “precarious or irregular situations” outside Algeria, often living without legal status or stable employment.

Official statements describe these migrants as being exposed to poor conditions and sometimes forced into degrading work. Algerian authorities also claim that criminal networks and mafia-style clans actively recruit illegal migrants, further damaging Algeria’s reputation both domestically and abroad.

However, the return program comes with clear restrictions: individuals who have committed violent crimes or have been involved in drug or arms trafficking will be excluded.

Algerian embassies and consulates are expected to handle the practical implementation of the scheme, including the issuance of new identity documents. While no official start date has been announced, Jeune Afrique reports that tens of thousands of Algerians could be eligible.

The policy marks a significant shift from existing law. Since 2009, Algerians returning home without valid documents have faced penalties ranging from fines to prison sentences of up to six months.

France, which hosts the largest Algerian diaspora outside Algeria, could be among the main beneficiaries of the measure. Algerians are heavily overrepresented in French crime statistics. Algerians are the most frequently arrested foreign nationals and the most represented group in French prisons. The number of Algerian inmates rose by 117% over the past decade, from 1,948 in 2014 to 4,229 in 2024.

Concerns about criminality linked to illegal migration are not limited to France. In Germany, recent federal police data shows a sharp rise in violent knife crime, with migrants significantly overrepresented among suspects. Algerian nationals, alongside Afghan suspects, recorded the highest rates of knife usage in such attacks.