BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union earned €3.4 million from rejected Schengen visa applications from Nigeria in 2023, according to Schengen visa statistics.
Globally, EU governments collected €130 million from rejected Schengen visa applications, with African and Asian countries bearing 90% of the costs, reports EUobserver.com.
The report indicates African countries, particularly, are disproportionately impacted, with rejection rates as high as 40-50% for Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria.
These figures do not account for the costs incurred from being unable to travel for business and leisure or the expenses for legal advice and private agencies involved in processing visa applications.
“Visa inequality has very tangible consequences and the world’s poorest pay the price,” said Marta Foresti, founder of LAGO Collective and senior visiting fellow at the Overseas Development Institute.
