Data shows that the EU accumulated 56,3 million (R1,1 billion) from rejected visa applications from African countries in 2023.
Research from schengenvisainfo.com shows that Africans are the most rejected citizens for Schengen visas and collectively paid 56,3 million in non-refundable application fees for applications rejected by the EU.
African nationals received 704 000 visa rejections last year. Africa accounted for 43,1% of the total amount generated by rejected applications in 2023. This is an increase from last years amount of 49,9 million (R1 billion) received from 624 344 rejected visa applications from African countries in 2022, according to statistics from the European Commission.
A study by the LAGO Collective, a UK-based community of researchers and policymakers, found that 2023 total rejected visas generated 130 million (R2,3 billion), from the 2022 figure of 105 million (R2,1 billion).
South Africans alone were found to have contributed 776 880 (R15,7 million) to the amount collected from rejected visa applications. Algeria was the most rejected African country, accounting for 13,2 million (R264 million) of the total.
