Staff Reporter
SPAIN is the EU country second most likely to ‘mercilessly’ refuse a visa application, according to applicants and EU data.
Schengen visa applicants are increasingly voicing their concerns over rising rejection rates, specifically highlighting the challenges they face when applying for visas to enter Spain.
Social media platforms have become a haven for applicants to vent their rage at Schengen countries for what they perceive as ‘merciless’ refusal of their applications.
Recent statistics released for 2022 indicate that Schengen countries collectively rejected 17.9% of the 7,572,755 visa applications submitted worldwide.
Spain followed France in a close second in rejecting 227,712 applications out of nearly 1,250,000 applications – or 10%.
France recorded the highest number of rejected applications, with 408,876, out of just under two million – or around 20%.
Notably, both countries also received the highest number of applications and granted visas in 2022, with Germany ranking third.
Over the years, visa rejection rates have shown an upward trend, rising from 8.2% in 2017 to 9.6% in 2018, 9.9% in 2020, 13.6% in 2021, and reaching an all-time high of 17.9% in 2022.
Numerous applicants have taken to Twitter to share their experiences, recounting instances of what they consider unfair rejections and detailing the hurdles they encountered during the application process, as reported by SchengenVisaInfo.com.
One such case emerged when Turkish user Selin Tunc expressedher outrage after her Dutch visa application was rejected despite being invited to the prestigious Google IO event in Amsterdam, scheduled for June 20.
Tunc, accompanied by her family, had hoped to spend five days in the Netherlands.
Despite being advised to appeal within four weeks, she decided against it due to the approaching date of the event.
According to Tunc, the authorities claimed that she had not provided sufficient proof of her marital status and the existence of a child, despite her submission of a marriage certificate and the child’s birth certificate.
Similar stories have emerged from other applicants, all expressing their frustration with what they perceive as a relentless trend of visa rejections.
Meagan Teutsch, a US resident, shared her husband’s experience, whose Swiss Schengen visa application was rejected despite providing extensive documentation, including letters of invitation, hotel reservations, and flight details.
The authorities cited unreliable information regarding the purpose and conditions of the intended stay.
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