According to a recent analysis by the immigration consulting firm Henley & Partners, African applicants will have a much tougher time getting a Schengen visa than most other applicants—rejection rates will rise to an astounding 30% in 2022.
Despite submitting the fewest applications per capita, African countries are disproportionately affected by this, which contrasts sharply with the global average of 17.5%.
Seven of the ten countries with the highest rejection rates—African nations include Guinea-Bissau (45.2 percent), Nigeria (45.1 percent), and Algeria (45.8 percent)—are listed in the alarming data.
Ghana, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, and Mali all had between 40 and 45 percent of their applications rejected.
Algerian candidates encounter a rejection rate 10 times higher than that of applicants from the US, Canada, or the UK, who experience rejection rates of about four percent.
Rejection rates are much lower in Turkey and India, two other developing countries, than they are in the majority of African countries.
Although economic considerations and passport strength are significant contributors to the discrepancy, analysts contend they do not entirely explain it.
Despite a paucity of data connecting overstaying to a decrease in illegal migration, the report indicates that overstaying appears to be a significant factor in denials.
This trend obstructs Africans’ freedom of movement and puts up a barrier to trade and economic collaborations between Africa and Europe.
The European Union was asked in the report to rectify these discriminatory practices and advance a more equitable visa system that cultivates deeper linkages and more chances for legitimate travel between the two continents.
In 2022, seven of the 10 nations with the highest rates of Schengen visa refusal were located in Africa;
