فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
The high expenditures of Africans for Schengen visa applications in 2023 represented a significant financial burden, especially with the high rejection rates.
According to figures published by Schengen News, Africans spent a total of 56.3 million euros in fees for Schengen visa applications last year, accounting for 43% of the European Union’s revenues in this area.
Moroccans topped the list of visa applicants on the African continent, spending nearly 11 million euros. However, they also faced the highest number of rejections.
In 2023, 704,000 Schengen visa applications submitted by African citizens were rejected. Since application fees are non-refundable, the financial losses amounted to 56.3 million euros.
Morocco ranks first in terms of the number of rejected visa applications, with 136,367 applications refused, representing 8.3% of the total rejected visas. The bill amounted to around 11 million euros, exceeding 116 million Moroccan dirhams.
Although Moroccans were the largest group of applicants from the African continent, Algerians suffered the highest financial losses due to rejected applications, amounting to 13.3 million euros, or 23.5% of the total expenses related to rejections.
These figures raise questions about the criteria for granting Schengen visas to African and Moroccan citizens and highlight the challenge of facilitating mobility.
