Africans lost nearly $70M to denied visas applications to Europe in 2024
When Joel Anyaegbu's application for a Schengen visa to travel to Barcelona was denied late last year, he was surprised but immediately reapplied. He sent in more documents than were required, including bank statements and proof of property ownership in Nigeria.
He was rejected again.
'The information submitted regarding the justification for the purpose and conditions of the intended stay were not reliable,' read a checklist returned with his passport from the Spanish consulate in Lagos. The 32-year-old gaming consultant said he felt humiliated.
'I had to cancel meetings with partners at the conference I was attending,' he told CNN. 'I emailed the embassy to understand why I was denied but it has not been answered to date.'
Anyaegbu's was among the 50,376 short-stay Schengen visa applications rejected in Nigeria last year, nearly half of all submissions, according to newly released data from the European Commission.
Applicants worldwide pay a non-refundable visa fee of 90 euros (about $100), so Nigerians alone lost over 4.5 million euros (about $5 million) seeking permission to travel to the 29 European countries that make up the Schengen Area.
In total, African countries lost 60 million euros ($67.5 million) in rejected Schengen visa fees in 2024, analysis from the LAGO Collective shows. The London-based research and arts organization has been monitoring data on European short-term visas since 2022 and says Africa is the continent worst affected by the cost of visa rejections.
'The poorest countries in the world pay the richest countries in the world money for not getting visas,' its founder Marta Foresti told CNN. 'As in 2023, the poorer the country of application, the higher the rejection rates. African countries are disproportionately affected with rejection rates as high as 40-50% for countries like Ghana, Senegal and Nigeria.' She says this proves 'inbuilt discrimination and bias' in the process.
A European Commission spokesperson told CNN that member states consider visa applications on a case-by-case basis. 'Each file is assessed by experienced decision-makers on its own merits, in particular regarding the purpose of stay, sufficient means of subsistence, and the applicants' will to return to their country of residence after a visit to the EU,' the spokesperson said via email.
Africans have long complained about inconsistent, sometimes baffling decisions about who gets approved or denied while applying for European visas. Cameroonian Jean Mboulé was born in France but when he applied for a visa in 2022 alongside his wife using similar documents, his application was rejected but hers was not.
'At the time she was unemployed but with a South African passport. She had no income but received a visa on the back of my financial statement,' he told CNN. 'But the embassy said they refused my application because my documents were fake, and they weren't sure I would come back to South Africa, where I am a permanent resident, if I went to France.'
The 39-year-old regional executive took legal action in French courts and won, forcing the French embassy in Johannesburg to grant his visa and pay him a fine of 1,200 euros.
He told an administrative tribunal in the French city of Nantes that the embassy's decision to deny him a visa was 'tainted by insufficient reasoning.'
Mboulé pointed out that he had provided sufficient guarantees that he would return at the end of his trip to his wife and daughter in South Africa where he owns a building. After he got the visa, he chose to go to Mauritius instead as he didn't want to spend his money in France.
The Cameroonian's case is unique as many Africans denied Schengen visas rarely appeal or contest the decisions in court. Like Anyaegbu, the Nigerian gaming consultant, they often reapply, losing more money in the process. Mboulé has travelled several times to the UK and other African countries but was still denied twice for Schengen.
'The financial cost of rejected visas is just staggering; you can think of them as 'reverse remittances,' money flowing from poor to rich countries, which we never hear about,' the LAGO Collective's Foresti says. Schengen visa fees increased from 80 to 90 euros in July 2024, making it even more expensive for the world's poorest applicants.
But South African management lecturer Sikhumbuzo Maisela said the visa rejection rates for Africans were lower than he expected. 'The visa vetting process seems to be shaped less by outright prejudice and more by historical patterns of behaviour,' he told CNN via email.
'Western countries have had instances where visa holders overstayed or violated terms, and this has influenced how future applications are scrutinized.'
Though he hasn't conducted formal academic research on the issue, Maisela said Africans should treat visas as an act of trust and hospitality, and observe the rules.
'When one person violates these principles, it impacts all of us,' he said. 'It makes it harder for the next applicant — someone who may be fully compliant — to be granted the same opportunity. So, in a way, those who break the rules contribute to the very discrimination others face.'
Younger Africans are the most vocal about visa rejections online but older applicants face similar barriers. Julius Musimeenta, a 57-year-old Ugandan engineer, applied for a visa to attend an engineering fair in Munich last year with his family. All six of them were rejected even though they had all previously traveled to Europe.
'Africans contribute a lot to funding these embassies through these rejections. They always think negatively about us travelling to their countries,' he told CNN. He has three grown-up children who are also engineers and the entire family has a long history of international travel so they were surprised by the blanket denial, he says.
The European Commission said it does not comment on individual cases but EU law allows visa applicants to appeal negative decisions if they feel that the refusal was unjustified.
'The reasons for refusals vary, and include for example the submission of false or forged supporting documents such as bank statements or civil status documents, and weak socio-economic ties to the country of residence and hence a heightened risk of irregular migration,' it said.
While Schengen visa rejections get the most attention due to the large number of countries, African applicants to the UK complain of similar access challenges.
UK visa fees rose from £100 to £115 in July 2024 ($134 to $154) and then to £127 ($170) in April this year. There was a 13.5% spike in the cost of rejected visas to £50.7 million ($68.8 million) in 2024, the LAGO Collective estimates. Nigerians alone paid an extra £2 million trying to travel to their former colonial master, according to its calculations.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Post
15 minutes ago
- New York Post
Bob Costas rips mainstream media for doing ‘MAGA Media': ‘There really isn't two sides'
Famed sportscaster Bob Costas slammed the mainstream media for cowing to President Trump during his second term while accepting a leadership award. Costas, attending the Mirror Awards in New York City on Monday night, singled out ABC News and CBS News for rolling over after Trump sued both networks. In a long-winded speech that covered his career in broadcasting and the state of the media business, Costas criticized ABC parent Disney for paying $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit against the network over star anchor George Stephanopoulos saying Trump was found guilty of raping E. Jean Carroll. 4 Bob Costas slammed the mainstream media over its handling of President Trump's second term. Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP A New York court had found Trump guilty of sexual assault — not rape, a key legal difference — in the civil case. Trump has denied wrongdoing in that case. 'All they should've said was, 'George misspoke. The president, that paragon of virtue, was only found guilty of sexual assault, not rape. So we stand corrected,'' Costas said of the decision to settle. 'They didn't have to pay a $15 million ransom.' The Post had previously reported that Stephanopoulos had been told repeatedly by producers to not use the word 'rape' but he ignored the warnings. Costas then turned to CBS parent Paramount Global, which is controlled by Shari Redstone, over its attempts to settle another Trump suit over the alleged biased editing of a '60 Minutes' sit-down with then-vice president Kamala Harris. 4 Costas said outlets like ABC News, CNN, and CBS News have pandered to President Trump and his worldview instead of challenging it. REUTERS Paramount is currently looking to close an $8 billion merger with Skydance Media in a move that would require the greenlight from Trump's Federal Communications Commission. The network has denied it deceptively edited the '60 Minutes' interview to make Harris sound more cogent. Under pressure from Trump's lawsuit and higher-ups at Paramount, longtime '60 Minutes' boss Bill Owens exited the company, citing waning editorial dependence. 4 The veteran sportscaster ripped ABC after it paid Trump $16 million to settle his defamation lawsuit over George Stephanopoulos' use of the word 'rape.' ABC via Getty Images 'And did Shari Redstone, because she wants to affect a merger that Trump's FCC can stand in the way of, did she have to besmirch and undercut the gold standard in our lifetime of broadcast journalism, '60 Minutes?'' Costas said. 'Paying $20 million in ransom to Trump is just the cost of doing business when there's billions of dollars at stake. These are ongoing assaults on the basic idea of a free press.' Costas also took a jab at CNN, which he claimed has 'valorized' Trump 'in the name of being balanced,' dubbing such work as 'MAGA media.' CNN brass has pushed for anchors to try to remain objective when covering the Trump administration. 4 Costas also called out Shari Redstone, who has pushed for Paramount to settle Trump's lawsuit over '60 Minutes'' sitdown with Kamala Harris. FilmMagic 'But if the answer to that is MAGA media, if the answer to that is Donald Trump's view of the world, which is only through a prism of what benefits him, there are no higher ideals. There are no principles at work other than what benefits him,' he said. 'I'll stay with where we are without correction if the correction is what Donald Trump represents.' 'If someone says – and the idea that you have to find somebody who will not just defend Donald Trump, but valorize it, even on CNN or wherever else, just in the name of being balanced– look, if someone is contending that the Earth is flat, in order to appear objective, you are not required to say, 'Well, maybe it might be oblong.' No, it's not,' Costas said. 'Certainly things are just true.' He concluded: 'And regrettably, something that's true in America right now is that the President of the United States has absolutely no regard, and in fact has contempt, for basic American principles and basic common decency.' Mediaite first reported on Costas' comments.


CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Mexican flags at LA protests spark heated debate
Mexican flags at LA protests spark heated debate Mexico's flag has become a defining symbol of the protests in Los Angeles, sparking a heated debate amongst the Latino community about whether or not it's disrespectful. CNN's Rafael Romo breaks down the debate and what the it means to be Mexican-American right now. 01:53 - Source: CNN Vertical Top News 14 videos Mexican flags at LA protests spark heated debate Mexico's flag has become a defining symbol of the protests in Los Angeles, sparking a heated debate amongst the Latino community about whether or not it's disrespectful. CNN's Rafael Romo breaks down the debate and what the it means to be Mexican-American right now. 01:53 - Source: CNN Tanks arrive in DC ahead of US Army parade As the 250th anniversary celebration for the US Army approaches, a freight train of tanks was seen making its way into the nation's capital. The long-planned celebration in Washington will coincide with Trump's 79th birthday and include thousands of troops. The Army had said it has no plans to recognize the president's birthday. 00:40 - Source: CNN Colombian presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe shot in Bogota A Colombian senator and presidential hopeful is in a critical condition after being shot twice at an event in Bogota, according to national police and prosecutors. Police arrested a 15-year-old carrying a Glock pistol, according to the Attorney General's Office. Miguel Uribe expressed intentions to run in the 2026 presidential election for the country's largest opposition party, the center-right Centro Democrático, or Democratic Center. 01:05 - Source: CNN Immigration protests break out in Los Angeles President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum deploying 2,000 National Guardsmen to disperse the protests that began in the Los Angeles area in response to immigration raids. Law enforcement authorities and demonstrators have clashed for two days. CNN's Julia Vargas Jones reports. 01:34 - Source: CNN Coco Gauff reacts to winning the French Open Coco Gauff claimed her second career grand slam singles title, defeating world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka in the French Open women's final. 00:46 - Source: CNN Protesters confront authorities following ICE raids in Los Angeles Federal immigration operations in Los Angeles were met by protests. ICE declined to discuss the details of its operations. 00:43 - Source: CNN Attorney for mistakenly deported man talks to Erin Burnett CNN's Erin Burnett talks with Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, attorney for Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador in March, who has been returned to the United States to face federal criminal charges. 02:37 - Source: CNN Trump Admin targets LGBTQ+ community during Pride Month CNN's Ben Hunte breaks down how the Trump Administration has targeted the LGBTQ+ community with its policies in just the first few days of Pride Month. 02:09 - Source: CNN Former 'Diddy' girlfriend reveals 'love contract' A former romantic partner for Sean 'Diddy' Combs using the pseudonym 'Jane' described feeling financially coerced and revealed Combs is still paying for her rent, even as she testified against him at trial. Prosecutors hope the testimony by 'Jane' will drive home charges that include sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution. Combs has pleaded not guilty to all charges. 01:30 - Source: CNN Trump's border czar on 3 US children leaving the country with their deported mothers White House border czar Tom Homan defended the Trump administration's move to deport three US citizen children last week. Homan told CNN's Priscilla Alvarez the children's parents, who were in the US illegally, made a "parental decision" to leave the country together. Gracie Willis, an attorney with the National Immigration Project, denies that the mothers were given a choice whether their children could remain in the US. 01:07 - Source: CNN Trump on Musk: 'The poor guy's got a problem' In a phone call with CNN's Dana Bash, President Donald Trump said he is 'not even thinking about' billionaire Elon Musk and won't be speaking to him in the near future. The comments come a day after Trump and Musk traded barbs on social media as their relationship deteriorated in spectacular public fashion. 00:43 - Source: CNN No aliens here: Research disputes possible 'signs of life' on another planet In response to hints of "biosignatures" found on a world called K2-18b, new research suggests there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the exoplanet. CNN's Ashley Strickland reports on the ongoing scientific discourse around the search for extraterrestrial life. 00:43 - Source: CNN Reporter: Trump made $1 billion in crypto in 9 months CNN's Erin Burnett talks with Forbes Magazine's Dan Alexander about President Donald Trump's stunning ownership of billions of dollars worth of crypto. 02:19 - Source: CNN Russia launches strikes across Ukraine Russia launched waves of drones and ballistic missiles at multiple targets across a broad swath of Ukraine overnight killing at least four people in the capital Kyiv and wounding around 40 across the country. 00:32 - Source: CNN
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
RFK Jr. made some promises on vaccines to get confirmed. Is he breaking them?
The Trump era is rife with Republicans who abandon their principles in the name of toeing Donald Trump's line. But few have gambled with those principles recently like Louisiana Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy. The chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee in February played the pivotal role in confirming a longtime purveyor of vaccine misinformation, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as Health and Human Services secretary. Cassidy did so despite often citing how 30 years of practicing medicine taught him how crucial vaccines are – and despite his very public reservations about Kennedy's views and motivations on the subject. He also did so at a time when vaccine skepticism has risen sharply on the right, meaning Cassidy's strongly held beliefs were already losing ground. At Kennedy's confirmation hearing, Cassidy recalled loading an 18-year-old woman who had hepatitis B onto an ambulance so she could get an emergency liver transplant. 'And as she took off, it was the worst day of my medical career, because I thought $50 of vaccines could have prevented this all,' Cassidy said. 'That was an inflection point in my career.' Cassidy, who faces reelection and likely a primary challenge in 2026, ultimately gave Kennedy a decisive vote, after obtaining what the senator cast as a series of vaccine-related concessions. But pretty much ever since then, Kennedy has tested the spirit of that agreement, if he hasn't violated it outright. Most recently, that took the form of Kennedy on Monday removing all 17 members of an expert panel of advisers that guides the federal government's vaccine recommendations. Many immediately cast this as contrary to what Kennedy promised Cassidy. It's not quite so simple, for reasons we'll get to. But plenty of other actions could fit into that category. For his part, Cassidy on Monday would not tell CNN whether he regrets his vote for Kennedy. Last month, the senator said Kennedy had 'lived up to' the agreement. But at other times, he has taken issue with Kennedy's actions. It's worth a review of what Cassidy said back then – and since. Cassidy laid out the conditions during a speech on the Senate floor. In those February remarks, Cassidy cited the same vaccine advisory panel Kennedy just cleared out. 'If confirmed, he will maintain the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices' recommendations without changes,' Cassidy said, according to video of his remarks. An old transcript of Cassidy's speech on his own website omitted the word 'recommendations,' leading Kennedy's critics on Monday to accuse him of breaking his word by changing the makeup of the committee itself. But Cassidy's comments pertained to the committee's recommendations. (CNN has reached out to Cassidy's office about the transcript.) Cassidy in an X post Monday expressed concern about what comes next. He cited a 'fear' that 'ACIP will be filled up with people who know nothing about vaccines except suspicion.' 'I've just spoken with Secretary Kennedy, and I'll continue to talk with him to ensure this is not the case,' he added. He declined to go further when pressed by CNN's Manu Raju. Cassidy also said in his February speech that Kennedy had 'committed that he would work within current vaccine approval and safety monitoring systems and not establish parallel systems.' But just in the past two weeks, Kennedy announced changes to the CDC's recommended vaccine schedules without ACIP's input. 'CDC will not remove statements on their website pointing out that vaccines do not cause autism,' Cassidy said in his speech. There is no evidence that the CDC has done this. But Kennedy has taken actions that seem geared toward his longstanding and debunked linking of vaccines to autism, which Cassidy took exception to at Kennedy's confirmation hearing. Most recently, this took the form of launching a 'massive testing and research effort' to find the causes of autism, which critics worry will be geared toward vaccines. And indeed, CNN previously reported HHS had asked the CDC to study vaccines and autism, despite strong evidence there's no link between the two. This is one area where Cassidy has expressed reservations. 'I'll point out that has been clearly laid to rest,' the senator said in April of the supposed link between vaccines and autism, according to The Advocate. 'The more resources we put towards that, we are not putting towards actually finding out what is the cause of autism.' Finally, Cassidy's floor speech suggested Kennedy had provided assurances that he wouldn't use his position to 'wrongfully' create suspicion about vaccines. 'I will watch carefully for any effort to wrongfully sow public fear about vaccines [through] confusing references of coincidence and anecdote,' Cassidy said. 'But my support is built on assurances that this will not have to be a concern …' There is no question Kennedy as HHS secretary has said many things that could undermine confidence in vaccines – often using misinformation. Amid a measles outbreak in Texas, Kennedy wasn't quick to explicitly recommend the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, while floating unconventional treatments like vitamin A in ways that experts worried would discourage vaccinations. He also made a series of claims about the MMR vaccine that experts reject. These have included that it contains 'fetal debris' and that it 'was never safety tested.' He has also claimed that no childhood vaccine except the Covid-19 vaccine has been fully tested against placebos. But that's not true — something Cassidy pointed out in perhaps the most significant example of him calling out Kennedy. After Kennedy made the claim at a hearing last month, Cassidy returned to the hearing to correct him. 'The secretary made the statement that no vaccines except for Covid have been evaluated against placebo,' Cassidy said. 'For the record, that's not true. The rotavirus, measles and HPV vaccines have been, and some vaccines are tested against previous versions. So, just for the record to set that straight,' Cassidy said. It was the kind of claim that might lead one to wonder whether the guy you elevated to such a powerful position was actually living up to the agreement that got him there. Cassidy doesn't seem willing to go there yet. But all signs are Kennedy is going to continue making him second-guess his choices.