In 2024, African travelers paid a steep price—not for boarding flights, but for dreams deferred. According to new research from the LAGO Collective, a global mobility research group based in London, African applicants lost nearly €60 million ($67.5 million) in non-refundable Schengen visa fees—without ever setting foot in Europe.
The numbers are jarring: thousands of hopeful travelers shelled out €90 (around $100) for short-stay visa applications to visit the 29 European countries in the Schengen Area. But many were met with rejection. In Nigeria alone, more than 50,000 visa applications were denied in 2024, resulting in an estimated €4.5 million ($5 million) vanishing into thin air—money paid for a service never rendered.
And the trend is not isolated. Across Africa, rejection rates remain alarmingly high, especially in countries like Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria, where up to 50% of applications were turned down. For Comoros, the rejection rate soared to 61.3%, the highest in the world.
“It’s a harsh irony,” said Marta Foresti, founder of the LAGO Collective. “The poorest countries in the world are paying the richest countries for a ‘no.’” She didn’t mince words, calling the trend “systemic discrimination and bias” baked into the visa process.
The July 2024 increase in Schengen visa fees—from €80 to €90—only widened the gap, further straining applicants already struggling with currency depreciation and economic uncertainty. And unlike most services, there are no refunds—visa denied or not.
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Foresti described this flow of money from Africa to Europe as “reverse remittances”—a painful twist on the traditional idea of sending money to developing nations. In this case, it’s millions flowing out, with nothing to show for it but a rejection letter.
A supporting study by Henley & Partners echoed these findings: African nationals were twice as likely to be rejected as their Asian counterparts in 2023, even though they submitted fewer applications overall.
Of the top 10 countries with the highest rejection rates, six are African—a reality that has sparked deeper conversations about equity, access, and the invisible barriers to global mobility.
“It’s not just paperwork,” said one Nigerian applicant whose visa was denied after three months of waiting. “It’s time, money, emotional investment. And at the end, it feels like a door slammed in your face.”
As global travel resumes post-pandemic and visa processes become increasingly digital, advocates are calling for more transparency and fairness in the way applications from developing countries are handled. Until then, many Africans will continue paying—literally—for opportunities they may never get to chase.
