Nigerians Experience High Rate of Schengen Visa Rejections

Nigerians are grappling with a significant surge in visa rejections for Schengen nations, reflecting broader migration challenges as increasing numbers of citizens seek opportunities abroad. According to the January 2025 Henley Global Mobility Report by Henley & Partners, 40.8% of the 105,926 Schengen visa applications submitted by Nigerians in 2024 were denied, amounting to 42,940 rejections. This places Nigeria among the top 20 countries with the highest visa denial rates and 11th on the list for Schengen destinations. Migration has long been a feature of Nigeria’s middle-class aspirations, but the trend has accelerated over the past four years, driven by worsening economic conditions. Inflation soared to an unprecedented 34.6% in November 2024, exacerbating a cost-of-living crisis, rampant unemployment, and diminishing local opportunities. These factors have fueled a wave of emigration as Nigerians pursue better prospects overseas. The Henley report highlights that Schengen visa rejections for Nigerians have more than doubled in the past decade, underscoring systemic barriers stemming from the perceived weakness of the Nigerian passport and stringent identity-based visa policies. Currently, Nigeria ranks 94th in the global passport power index, reflecting limited travel freedom and diminished access to high-mobility destinations. Rejection rates across Africa present an even starker picture. Six of the ten countries with the highest Schengen visa denials are African, with Comoros leading at 61.3%, followed by Guinea-Bissau (51%), Ghana (47.5%), Mali (46.1%), Sudan (42.3%), and Senegal (41.2%). By contrast, Pakistan (49.6%), Syria (46%), and Bangladesh (43.3%) represent the highest rejection rates in Asia, while Greece, a Schengen member, ranks second overall with a 56.4% rejection rate. Although African countries accounted for just 2.8% of global Schengen applications in 2024, their rejection rate was disproportionately high at 44.8%. Of the 277,792 applicants from the top 10 countries with the highest denial rates, half were rejected. The report further reveals regional disparities in mobility, with African and Asian nations submitting 703,894 applications in 2023, representing 6.8% of all Schengen applications, yet facing a combined rejection rate of 40%. Within this cohort, African applicants encountered a 45% rejection rate, significantly exceeding the Africa-Asia average. Professor Mehari Maru of the European University Institute’s Migration Policy Centre commented, “The global mobility divide is widening dramatically. While global travel freedom has nearly doubled since 2006, the gap between the most and least mobile nations is at an all-time high. African applicants are disproportionately disadvantaged, facing rejection rates 14 percentage points higher than their Asian counterparts, despite submitting half as many applications in 2023.” These findings spotlight a growing disparity in global travel access, raising critical questions about the fairness and inclusivity of current mobility frameworks, particularly for African nations seeking greater integration into the global economy.