For heaps of Africans dreaming of visiting Europe for tourism, conferences, education, or family reunions, getting a Schengen visa is becoming a steeper uphill battle. Primarily the most modern data from the European Rate finds a troubling fact: African candidates are facing one of the most most supreme Schengen visa rejection rates on the earth.
In 2024, hundreds of African travellers chanced on their hopes dashed as rejection rates soared in all places in the continent. In maintaining with reliable statistics, worldwide locations admire Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, Nigeria, and Ghana faced rejection rates between forty five% and 63%, making them one of the most most hardest-hit globally.
This yr alone, the Schengen zone, made up of 29 European worldwide locations including France, Germany, and Spain, bought more than 11.7 million rapid-dwell visa capabilities. Whereas world question surged by 13.6%, the door remained tightly shut for heaps of Africans.
A Continent Paying to Be Rejected
Every Schengen visa utility costs €90 (around $100), no topic the discontinue consequence. That’s a non-refundable price that must be paid even when the utility is rejected, in most cases with minimal clarification.
In maintaining with prognosis by the LAGO Collective, Africans misplaced an estimated €60 million ($67.5 million) in 2024 alone via rejected capabilities. That’s money spent not on jog, nonetheless on kinds and silence.
“The poorest worldwide locations on the earth are paying the richest worldwide locations to not allow them to in,” says Marta Foresti, founding father of the UK-primarily based team. “The poorer the country of foundation, the increased the rejection rates.”
The High 10 Most Affected African Worldwide locations
The European Rate’s figures indicate accurate how inconsistently the burden of rejections falls:
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Comoros tops the listing with a staggering 62.8% rejection price.
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Guinea-Bissau follows carefully at 47.0%, with Senegal at 46.8%.
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Nigeria faces a forty five.9% price, with Ghana accurate in the abet of at forty five.5%.
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Congo-Brazzaville (43.0%), Mali (approx. 43%), and Guinea (41.1%) spherical out the listing.
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Burundi is available in at 40.0%, and Ethiopia, despite a rather decrease pick, light made the highest 10 with 36.1%.
For context, the area average rejection price hovers around 18%, making Africa’s numbers exceptionally excessive.
More Than Factual Bureaucracy
European embassies negate that every utility is classed on its fill advantage, taking a examine things admire the fair of the search recommendation from, monetary methodology, and the applicant’s willingness to advance abet home. But critics insist the course of stays opaque, with dinky accountability.
“These excessive rejection rates usually are not accurate administrative, they’re symptomatic of deeper issues: inequality, suspicion, and systemic bias,” Foresti adds.
Many candidates insist they in most cases put up all of the correct documents, from employment letters to bank statements and jog insurance protection, handiest to receive vague denials and no obvious options. In some cases, people are denied consistently, even for legitimate jog causes admire conferences or family events.
Closing Doors, Widening Gaps
As African governments construct partnerships with Europe all over sectors, trade, education, and abilities, the barriers to creep stand in stark inequity to the rhetoric of cooperation. Within the meantime, European voters face dinky resistance when travelling all over Africa, raising tricky questions about equity, reciprocity, and admire.
In a globalised world the set aside mobility in most cases equates to alternative, Africans are discovering themselves locked out not because of the they lack draw or preparation, nonetheless since the system an increasing number of appears to be like stacked against them.
As stress mounts for visa reform and more transparency, the hope is that African voices and wallets won’t continue to endure the supreme costs for the bottom outcomes.
