ON JUNE 9th this year, The Punch newspaper reported that the EU earned €3.4 million from rejected Schengen visa applications from Nigeria. The report further stated that globally, EU governments collected €130 million from rejected Schengen visa applications, with African and Asian countries bearing 90 percent of the costs, according to EUobserver.com. Similarly, the UK raised £44 million (€50 million) from rejected visa fees. The report highlighted that African countries are disproportionately affected, with rejection rates as high as 40–50 percent for nations like Ghana, Senegal, and Nigeria.
Migrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Arab countries are often treated as second- or third-class citizens in developed nations. For example, in the UAE, an unofficial ranking system reportedly places Emirate citizens as first-class, Arabs from other countries as second-class, Europeans and Americans as third-class, and Africans as fourth- or even fifth-class citizens.
The increasing rate of visa rejections worldwide, particularly for African and Middle Eastern countries like Pakistan and Afghanistan, mirrors the experiences of applicants from India and other less-developed regions. These rejections are often not due to incomplete documents or failure to meet requirements but rather because of systemic discrimination based on applicants’ countries of origin and socio-economic status. Applicants from these regions are often perceived as economic migrants who might not return to their home countries due to economic challenges and better job opportunities abroad.
Migration – whether for tourism, leisure, or work – has existed as long as humanity itself. Yet, in today’s global context, ordinary people from less-developed countries face immense barriers when seeking visas. Many lack the substantial funds required to prove financial stability, a common hurdle imposed by developed nations.
In some parts of Africa, individuals even resort to fasting and praying for a visa – a reflection of the desperation and systemic inequalities involved. As Marxists, it is essential to critically examine the root causes of these issues, including the exploitation and marginalisation embedded in visa policies.
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The crisis of visa rejections has worsened, even for those traveling for legitimate purposes like conferences. Despite meeting all requirements and paying the necessary fees, applicants are still denied entry. The European Union, United States, Canada, and other so-called developed countries continue to frustrate migrants, exacerbating global inequalities under the guise of stringent immigration policies.
The desperation caused by visa rejections often drives people to risk their lives by traveling through perilous Mediterranean routes to enter Europe. Many, both young and old, attempt these dangerous journeys using the Central Mediterranean route (from Algeria, Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia to Italy and Malta), the Western Mediterranean route (from Algeria and Morocco to Spain), or the North-West Africa maritime route (from Senegal, Mauritania, Morocco, and Western Sahara to the Canary Islands).
Millions of Africans resort to crossing the Mediterranean Sea after their visa applications are denied, even when all requirements are met. However, this path is fraught with unimaginable dangers. Many travellers fall victim to slave camps in Libya, die from dehydration on the journey, or face attacks by immigration patrols.
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Reports reveal harrowing stories of Nigerians and other Africans taking months-long journeys through Libya, navigating circuitous routes filled with sand dunes, whirlwinds, and encounters with dangerous reptiles. Travelers also face the constant threat of armed Tuaregs and other dangers. The experiences are nightmarish: travellers devoured by wild animals, young women kidnapped by armed groups and forced into marriage, some raped to death, and pregnant women subjected to open-space torture and sexual violence. In the past two decades, no fewer than 1,000 Nigerian girls have reportedly been abducted and forcibly married by armed desert gangs.
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Professionals and workers are also routinely denied visas under the pretext that they might not return to their home countries. This discriminatory practice is not limited to African nations; similar challenges are faced by applicants from the Middle East and South America.
For young people, professionals, and working individuals in Africa who are victims of visa rejections – despite having plans to visit and return home to their jobs – there is a need to resist this new form of discrimination. Africa doesn’t lack resources. These resources are sucked away by Western multinationals.
A report highlights the EU’s use of visa restrictions as a political tool, particularly through Article 25a of its 2019 visa code. This provision allows visa restrictions for countries with low rates of migrant returns. For instance, in April, the EU Council imposed visa sanctions on Ethiopia, banning multiple-entry visas and removing fee exemptions for diplomatic and service passport holders.
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Migrants from Africa, the Middle East, and Arab countries are often treated as second- or third-class citizens in developed nations. For example, in the UAE, an unofficial ranking system reportedly places Emirate citizens as first-class, Arabs from other countries as second-class, Europeans and Americans as third-class, and Africans as fourth- or even fifth-class citizens.
Most migrants from Africa and other third-world countries, like Nigeria, typically hold jobs as traders, caregivers, cleaners, or taxi drivers. Yet, many still leave their home countries in search of better opportunities, despite the often low-paying and difficult jobs they may face abroad. They prefer staying in developed countries, primarily because of favourable exchange rates for their local currencies.
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However, it is crucial for Africans, especially Nigerians, to be discouraged from taking the dangerous and often deadly route to Europe via the desert. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) have not done enough to address the grave dangers migrants face in the desert. Instead, African governments are focused on telling young people not to leave their countries, while the socio-economic crises persist.
Marta Foresti, the founder of LAGO Collective and senior visiting fellow at the Overseas Development Institute, aptly put it: “Visa inequality has very tangible consequences, and the world’s poorest pay the price.”
She explained: “You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from the poor to rich countries. We never hear about these costs when discussing aid or migration; it is time to change that.”
For young people, professionals, and working individuals in Africa who are victims of visa rejections – despite having plans to visit and return home to their jobs – there is a need to resist this new form of discrimination. Africa doesn’t lack resources. These resources are sucked away by Western multinationals.
Western governments are also fuelling political tensions in order to serve their interests. We need to organise and fight for a radical change in Africa, breaking the shackles of imperialism and establishing socialist societies, where all people are equal. Only in a world that is rid of the capitalist mode of production can people enjoy the benefits of their work and travel freely across the globe.
Comrade Macaulay, a human rights activist, socialist and trade union activist, writes from Abuja.
