CNN
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He was surprised when Joel Anyaegbu's Schengen visa application was rejected late last year, but he quickly reapplied. He sent out more documents than necessary, including bank statements and proof of property ownership in Nigeria.
He was rejected again.
“The information submitted regarding the justification of the purpose and conditions of the intended stay was unreliable,” read the checklist returned in your passport from the Spanish Consulate in Lagos. The 32-year-old gaming consultant said he felt humiliated.
“I had to cancel a meeting with my partner at the meeting I was in,” he told CNN. “I emailed the embassy and understood why it was rejected, but I haven't been able to answer it so far.”
According to newly released data from the European Commission, Anyaegbu was one of 50,376 short-term Schengen visa applications rejected in Nigeria last year.
Applicants around the world lost 4.5 million euros (approximately $5 million) in search of permission to travel to the 29 European countries that make up the Schengen region, paying a non-refundable visa fee of 90 euros (approximately $100).
In total, African countries lost 60 million euros ($67.5 million) in 2024, rejecting Schengen visa fees. The London-based research and arts organization has been monitoring data on European short-term visas since 2022, saying Africa is the worst continent due to the cost of visa denials.
“The poorest countries in the world pay for the richest countries in the world because they don't have visas,” founder Marta Forest told CNN. “The more poor the applicant country, like in 2023, the higher the rejection rate. African countries are disproportionately affected by 40-50% rejection rates in countries like Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria,” she says this proves “discrimination and prejudice” in the process.
A European Commission spokesperson told CNN that member states are considering applying for visas on a case-by-case basis. “Each file will be assessed in its own merit by experienced decision makers, particularly regarding the purpose of the stay, sufficient self-sufficiency, and the willingness of applicants to return to their country of residence after a visit to the EU,” the spokesperson said in an email.
Africans have long complained about inconsistent, sometimes inexplicable decisions about who will be approved or rejected during their application for a European visa. Jammu Boulet, Cameroon, was born in France, but in 2022 he applied for a visa with his wife using similar documents, but she was not.
“At the time, she was unemployed, but she had a South African passport. She had no income, but she received a visa on the back of my financial statements,” he told CNN. “However, the embassy said it rejected my application because my documents were fake, and they were not sure if I went to France I would return to South Africa, where I am a permanent resident.”
The 39-year-old regional executive took legal action in a French court, winning, granting a visa to the French embassy in Johannesburg and forcing him to pay a fine of 1,200 euros.
He told the administrative court in the city of Nantes, France that the embassy's decision to deny the visa to him was “contaminated by inadequate reasoning.”
Mbuure pointed out that he provided ample guarantees that he would return at the end of his trip to his South African wife and daughter, who owns the building. After he got his visa, he didn't want to spend the money in France, so he chose to go to Mauritius instead.
Cameroonian cases are unique as many Africans have denied Schengen visas and rarely challenge or contest a court decision. Like Anyaegbu, a Nigerian game consultant, they often reapply and lose more money in the process. Mboule traveled several times to the UK and other African countries, but was still denied twice because of Schengen.
“The financial costs of rejected visas are incredible. You can think of them as 'reverse remittances', money flowing from poor countries to rich countries. Schengen visa fees increased from 80 euros to 90 euros in July 2024, making them even more expensive for the poorest applicants in the world.
However, Sikhumbuzo Maisela, a lecturer for South African management, said the rate of visa refusal for Africans is lower than expected. “The visa review process appears to be less shaped by complete bias and lesser by historical patterns of behavior,” he told CNN via email.
“There have been cases in Western countries where visa holders overstay or infringe on conditions, which has impacted how future applications will be scrutinized.”
He has not conducted formal academic research on the issue, but Maizela said Africans should treat visas as an act of trust and hospitality and adhere to the rules.
“If one person violates these principles, it affects us all,” he said. “It makes it difficult for the next applicant (someone who may be fully compliant) to be given the same opportunity. So, in a way, people who break the rules contribute to the very discrimination that others face.”
Young Africans are the most vocal about refusing visas online, but older applicants face similar barriers. Julius Musimeenta, a 57-year-old Ugandan engineer, applied for a visa last year to attend the engineering fair in Munich with his family. All six of them were rejected, despite all of them having traveled to Europe before.
“Africans have made a big contribution to funding these embassies through these rejections. They are always thinking negatively about our travels to their country,” he told CNN. He says they were surprised by the blanket's denial, as he has three adult children, an engineer and the whole family has a long history of international travel.
The European Commission said it had not commented on individual cases, but EU law allows Visa applicants to appeal negative decisions if they find the denial unfair.
“The reasons for rejection vary, including the submission of false or forgery support documents, such as bank statements and citizen status documents, as well as weak socioeconomic relationships with the country of residence, and thus the risk of irregular migration.”
While the denial of Schengen visas has attracted the most attention for many countries, African applicants to the UK have been appealing similar access challenges.
UK visa fees rose from £100 to £115 ($134 to $154) in July 2024, and increased to £127 ($170) in April this year. In 2024, the Lago Group estimate, the cost of rejected visas rose 13.5% to £50.7 million ($68.8 million). Only Nigerians, according to their calculations, paid £2 million extra to travel to the masters of the previous colony.
