African nationals will face higher costs when applying for visas to enter the European Union as the EU plans to raise visa fees starting Tuesday, according to Schengen visa statistics released on Saturday.
The report indicated that from Tuesday, African nationals will need to pay €90 instead of €80 for a Schengen visa application.
The EU reportedly earned €3.4 million from rejected Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerian citizens alone.
In 2023, African nationals received 704,000 negative responses to their visa requests, equating to €56.3 million in non-refundable application fees.
The report highlighted the significant financial burden on African nationals due to high rejection rates, with these fees termed ‘reverse remittances’ that primarily benefit EU countries.
“African nationals spent €56.3 million in visa application fees in 2023, representing 43 percent of all expenses; rejection rates were particularly high for African and Asian countries, which bear 90 percent of all expenses. These expenditures are set to increase by 12.5 percent as the EU raises visa fees for adults from €80 to €90 on June 11, following a recent EU Commission decision,” the report added.
Algeria had the highest number of rejected applications in 2023, accounting for 23.5 percent of all rejected application expenses. It also ranked second in the number of rejected applications, with 289,000 out of 704,000, representing 42.3 percent of all requests.
Moroccans, the top visa applicants from Africa, faced the highest number of rejections in 2023, with 437,000 visa requests denied, representing 62 percent of the total. Moroccans spent €10.9 million on rejected visa applications in 2023.
The report emphasized the economic impact on African nationals, noting that many African countries have some of the lowest wages globally. African nationals accounted for 43.1 percent of the total amount generated from rejected applications in 2023.
A study by EU Observer revealed that Schengen visa rejections generated €130 million in 2023, up from €105 million the previous year, indicating an upward trend in both visa expenses and rejection rates.
Marta Foresti, founder of LAGO Collective, commented, “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences, and the world’s poorest pay the price. Rejected visa costs are like ‘reverse remittances,’ money flowing from poor to rich countries. These costs are often overlooked in discussions on aid or migration; it is time to change that.”
