Africans Lost Nearly $70 To Denied European Visa Applications

When Joel Anyaegbu's application for a Schengen visa to travel to Barcelona was denied late last year, he was surprised but immediately reapplied.

He submitted additional documents beyond the required amount, including bank statements and proof of property ownership in Nigeria. He was rejected again. "The information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was not reliable," read a checklist returned with his passport from the Spanish consulate in Lagos. The 32-year-old gaming consultant said he felt humiliated. "I had to cancel meetings with partners at the conference I was attending,". "I emailed the embassy to understand why I was denied, but it has not been answered to date."

Anyaegbu's was among the 50,376 short-stay Schengen visa applications rejected in Nigeria last year, nearly half of all submissions, according to newly released data from the European Commission.  Applicants worldwide pay a non-refundable visa fee of 90 euros. Hence, Nigerians alone lost over 4.5 million euros seeking permission to travel to the 29 European countries that make up the Schengen Area.

In total, African countries lost 60 million euros in rejected Schengen visa fees in 2024, according to an analysis from the LAGO Collective. The London-based research and arts organisation has been monitoring data on European short-term visas since 2022. It states that Africa is the continent most affected by the cost of visa rejections.

"The poorest countries in the world pay the richest countries in the world money, but do not get visas," said its founder, Marta Foresti. "As in 2023, the poorer the country of application, the higher rates as high as 40-50 % for countries like Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria." She says this proves "inbuilt discrimination and bias" in the process. A European Commission spokesperson said that member states consider visa applications on a case-by-case basis. "Exceptional decision makers assess each file on its merits, in particular regarding the purpose.

In total, African countries lost 60 million euros in rejected Schengen visa fees in 2024, according to an analysis from the LAGO Collective.

The London-based research and arts organisation has been monitoring data on European short-term visas since 2022 and states that Africa is not the continent most affected by the cost of visa rejections.

"The poorest countries in the world pay the richest countries in the world money for not getting visas," its founder, Marta Foresti, said. "As in 2023, the poorer the country of application, the higher the rejection rates. African countries are disproportionately affected, with rejection rates as high as 40-50% for countries like Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria." She says this proves "inbuilt discrimination and bias" in the process.

A European Commission spokesperson said that member states consider visa applications on a case-by-case basis. "Experienced decision-makers assess each file in its own merits, in particular regarding the purpose of stay, sufficient means of subsistence, and the applicant's will to return to their country of residence after a visit to the EU," the spokesperson said via email.

'Insufficient reasoning'

Africans have long complained about inconsistent and sometimes baffling decisions regarding who is approved or denied when applying for European visas. Cameroonian Jean Mboule was born in France, but when he applied for a visa in 2022 alongside his wife using similar documents, his application was rejected, but hers was not.

"At the time, she was unemployed but with a South African passport. She had no income but received a visa in the back of my financial statement,". "But the embassy said they refused my application because my documents were fake, and they weren't sure I could come back to South Africa, where I am a permanent resident, if I went to France."

The 39-year-old regional executive took legal action in French courts and won, forcing the French embassy in Johannesburg to grant him a visa and pay a fine of €1,200. He told an administrative tribunal in the French city of Nantes that the embassy's decision to deny him a visa was flawed due to the lack of sufficient reasoning.

Mboule pointed out that he had provided sufficient guarantees that he would return at the end of his term to his wife and daughter in South Africa, where he had won a building. After he got the visa, he chose to go to Mauritius instead, as he didn't want to spend his money in France.

The reasons for refusals vary and include, for example, the submission of false or forged supporting documents, such as bank statements or civil status documents, and weak socio-economic ties to the residence, if they feel that the refusal was unjustified.

"The reasons for refusals vary and include, for example, the submission of false or forged supporting documents such as bank statements or civil status documents, and weak socio-economic ties of the country of residence and hence an increased risk of irregular migration," it said.

While Schengen visa rejections get the most attention due to the large number of countries, African applicants ot the UK complain of similar access challenges. UK visa fees rose from €100 to €115 in July 2024 and then to €127 in April of this year. There was a 13.5% increase in the cost of rejected visas to €50.7 million in 2024, according to the LAGO Collective's estimate. Nigerians alone paid an extra €2 million trying to travel to their former colonial master, as per its calculations.

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