In a rare legal victory that has sparked renewed conversation about Europe’s visa regime, a Cameroonian man, Jean Mboulè, has successfully sued the French government for unfairly denying him a Schengen visa—winning both his case and €1,200 in compensation.
Mboulè, a regional executive and permanent resident of South Africa, had applied for a visa alongside his wife, a South African citizen, intending to travel to France. Although his wife—unemployed and without a personal income at the time—was granted a visa using Mboulè’s financial documentation, his own application was inexplicably denied.
According to Mboulè, the French embassy in Johannesburg claimed his documents were fraudulent and expressed doubts that he would return to South Africa. This decision baffled him, particularly given his stable financial profile and ties to South Africa, where he legally resides. Adding to the irony, Mboulè was actually born in France.
Frustrated and determined to challenge what he viewed as an unjust system, the 39-year-old took legal action against the French authorities. The court ruled in his favor, compelling the embassy to not only issue him the visa but also pay €1,200 in damages for their mishandling of his case.
But Mboulè, disillusioned by the ordeal, declined to visit France even after receiving the visa. Instead, he and his wife vacationed in Mauritius—a decision he says was intentional. “I didn’t want to spend my money in a country that treated me like I didn’t belong,” he said.
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His case has since drawn global attention to what many African travelers have long described as a discriminatory and opaque visa application process in European embassies. The Schengen visa system, which governs travel access to 29 European countries, has often been criticized for disproportionately rejecting African applicants—many without clear reasons or a chance to appeal.
In fact, Mboulè’s legal win is an anomaly. Most rejected applicants don’t take their cases to court. Instead, they simply reapply, losing both time and money in the process. A 2024 report from the London-based LAGO Collective reveals that African applicants lost nearly €60 million in non-refundable visa fees last year alone.
“These are essentially reverse remittances,” said Marta Foresti, a researcher at LAGO Collective. “We usually think of money flowing from immigrants to their families back home, but here we see funds moving from poor individuals and families directly into the coffers of wealthy governments—with nothing in return.”
And the cost of rejection is climbing. In July 2024, the Schengen visa fee was raised from €80 to €90, adding yet another financial burden to travelers from lower-income countries—many of whom are already navigating complex and uneven application systems.
Mboulè’s case may not change the entire system, but it serves as a powerful reminder: unfair treatment should not be normalized. And when challenged, even powerful institutions can be held accountable.
