By Tolúlopé Olátúnjí
The European Union has reported earning about €3.4 million from rejected Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerian citizens in 2023.
According to the EU Observer mission, the European governments received accruals of €130 million from rejected Schengen visa applications globally, with African and Asian countries representing 90% of the costs.
A report by Punch newspaper maintained that Countries, including Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria, were particularly impacted, experiencing rejection rates as high as 40-50%. These figures do not account for additional costs such as lost opportunities for business and leisure travel, legal advice, and private agency fees.
According to Punch,the founder of LAGO Collective and senior visiting fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, Marta Foresti, who commented on the issue, provided some insights:, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price.”
The EU estimates that around half of all irregular migrants within its 27 member states result from visa overstays. In 2023, over 83,000 non-EU citizens were sent back to their countries, reflecting a return rate of 19%.
The European body has increasingly used visa restrictions as a political tool, invoking Article 25a of its 2019 visa code, which allows for visa restrictions on countries with low rates of migrant returns.
In April, the EU Council imposed visa sanctions on Ethiopia, including a ban on multiple-entry visas and the removal of visa fee exemptions for diplomatic and service passport holders, due to Ethiopia’s lack of cooperation in returning nationals staying illegally in EU countries. Conversely, the EU lifted visa restrictions on The Gambia after its migrant return rate rose from 14% in 2022 to 37% in 2023.
Foresti described the costs of rejected visas as “reverse remittances,” emphasizing the financial flow from poorer to richer countries, which is often overlooked in discussions about aid and migration.
However, the largest number of visa applications to the EU come from Morocco and Algeria. Data indicates that rejection rates for short-term visitor visas to Europe and the UK are higher for applicants from low and middle-income countries.
In 2023, the cost of Schengen visa rejections rose to €130 million from €105 million in 2022. This figure is expected to increase further in 2024, as the EU visa application fee for adults will rise from €80 to €90 starting June 11, following a recent EU Commission decision.
Meanwhile, the UK raised £44 million (€50 million) from rejected visa fees, highlighting the broader financial impact of visa rejections on applicants worldwide.
Source: Punch
