Half of all visa applications to the destination by Nigerians were rejected in 2024, reports say.
Nigerians are facing significant visa rejections for intending travelers to Schengen nations amidst the growing rate of migration to developed countries, vanguard reports
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 withthe 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.
Nigeria’s passport ranked 94th in the latest global most powerful passports.
Similarly, Africa also faced a higher rejection rate compared to other continents despite the insignificant volume of applications from the region.
The report showed that six of the top 10 countries facing the highest Schengen visa rejection rates are in Africa.
