Due to the fact that the cost of refused visas increased from €3.14 million to €3.44 million in 2023, the financial effect of these rejections has also increased.
Following the enactment of stricter visa restrictions and heightened scrutiny by the European Union, the number of Nigerians having their applications for Schengen visas denied has reached its highest point in four years.
SchengenVisaInfo.eu, an independent European platform for Schengen visa-related statistics, reports that the number of Nigerian visa denials increased by 9.97% in 2023 to 42,940, from 39,189 in 2022.
Due to the fact that the cost of refused visas increased from €3.14 million to €3.44 million in 2023, the financial effect of these rejections has also increased.
Schengen.News ascribes this rise to the stricter visa regulations and inspection procedures that Schengen nations implemented in reaction to security and migration worries.
Furthermore, African nationals collectively spent €56.3 million on visa application fees in 2023, accounting for 43% of all such expenses globally.
Rejection rates were particularly high for applicants from African and Asian countries, who together bear 90% of these costs.
Marta Foresti, Founder of LAGO Collective, commented on the situation, stating, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price. You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from poor to rich countries. We never hear about these costs when discussing aid or migration; it is time to change that.”
The Schengen visa, the most common visa for Europe, permits travel within the Schengen Area for up to 90 days.
This area comprises 27 countries that have signed the Schengen Agreement, allowing for passport-free travel across their borders.
These countries include Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.