Africans demand refunds for Schengen visa rejections
Several African nations have recently complained of high Schengen visa rejection rates, with one nation now even demanding refunds.
SCHENGEN VISA REJECTIONS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH FOR SOME NATIONS
With the EU earning big bucks from Schengen visa application rejections in 2023, some countries have decided that enough is enough.
According to Travel News, the Moroccan government is under pressure to request the refund of expenses for Schengen visa application rejections that have earned the EU €10,9 million (R211 million) in 2023.
The issue has reportedly become a political issue, with Moroccan MPs pushing the government to demand refunds for Schengen visa applications that were rejected.
As per data from Schengen.News, Morocco is currently the fourth most-rejected nationality for Schengen visas, for which an application costs citizens a quarter of the annual national wage in Morocco.
The data also shows that the EU collected €56,3 million (R1,1 billion) from rejected visa applications from African countries in 2023, €776 880 (R15,7 million) of which was from South Africa alone.
REJECTION RATES “INFURIATES” CITIZENS
African and Asian artists and athletes are reportedly “furious” over the sky high rejection rates of Schengen visas for their countries.
According to Schengen.News, these citizens are calling the Schengen visa rejection rates ‘unfair’, saying they are causing a ‘global apartheid’. They are also claiming that visas are being denied to certain countries like African and some Asian nations because they are least likely to afford them.
They have also pointed out that high rejection rates are impacting their work.
Schengen Visa Statistics recently reported that African countries like Comoros, Guinea-Bissau, and Ghana, as well as Asian countries like Pakistan, had the highest rejection rates for Schengen visas in 2023.
These countries have had between 57 and 46 percent of their visa applications refused last year.
Earlier this year, the EU had also announced that they would in fact be revising the cost of Schengen visa application fees.
The Commission had suggested that the fee for the visa application increase from €80 (R1 629,60) to €90 (R1 833,30) for adults and from €40 (R814,80) to €45 (R916,65) for children.