Japa: Schengen visa rejections hit record high for Nigerians

NAKIRUKA NNOROM FROM VANGUARD

Nigerians are facing significant visa rejections for intending travellers to Schengen nations amidst the growing rate of migration to developed countries. Half of all visa applications to the destination by Nigerians were rejected.

The latest Henley Global Mobility Report January 2025, published by Henley & Partners, indicates that out of 105,926 Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerians in 2024, 42,940, representing 40.8 per cent of the total application were rejected.

Migration has been part of the Nigerian middle-class psyche for decades, but the migration rate has increased in the last four years as economic hardship continues to bite harder.

Inflation soared to an all-time high of 34.60 per cent in November 2024, fueling the cost-of-living crisis, unemployment, and lack of opportunities, thereby forcing thousands to seek better opportunities outside the country’s shores.

The rejection level thus placed Nigeria among the top 20 countries with the most denied visas to the choice destination and ranked 11th on the list.

According to the report, the rejection, largely driven by passport power and identity-based visa policies, has more than doubled over the past decade and created substantial barriers to economic mobility for Nigerians and other African citizens.