The Iranian national volleyball team will not be attending an international tournament, as their visa requests have been denied by the Netherlands.
The main reason for the visa refusal according to the National Council of Resistance of Iran, is the regime’s growing isolation, Schengen.News reports.
The group of athletes’ visa requests received a negative response, despite the official invitation and all required registrations being presented.
Iranian State Media Says Schengen Visa Refusals for Iranian Athletes Are on the Rise
NCRI points out that this would be one of many cases of visa rejections for Iranian athletes that have occurred recently. Other Schengen states, including Hungary, Greece, Austria, Italy and Belgium have refused visas for Iranian athletes.
In June, France denied visas for the Iranian para-swimming team, leaving the athletes out of the competition. The reasons cited for visa refusals for these athletes were potential irregular migration, implying that the Iranian athletes could be seeking asylum once they arrive in France.
The news of the visa refusal of athletes from Iran was confirmed by the Head Coach of the national swimming team that will represent the country at the special edition of the Olympic Games 2024, held in Paris, France.
These two swimmers were supposed to compete in Berlin, but the embassy delayed, and the visas did not arrive on time. Next week’s World Championships in France are also out of reach because France didn’t issue visas either.
The Paralympics is a competition organised under the Olympic Games, designated for athletes with a range of disabilities.
Iranians’ Asylum Requests Increased by 25% in 2023
The most recent data by the EU Agency for Asylum (EUAA) reveals that the number of asylum seekers from Iran was up by 25 per cent in 2023, increasing from 13,459 to 16,833.
Germany received the largest number of requests – around 59 per cent of all requests or a total of 9,955, while the Netherlands follows second with 1,220 applications filed.
Around 43 per cent of Iranian asylum seekers in 2023 were granted refugee status, while 54 per cent were negative. In addition, three per cent of applicants received subsidiary protection while 54 per cent were negative. Compared to 2022, the share of Iranian asylum seekers granted refugee status is increasing, up from 39 to 42 per cent.
However, compared to 2017 figures when 51 per cent of requests were approved, Iranians are not the most likely to obtain refugee status.
Iranian nationals are less likely to be granted refugee status in the EU, considering that the last time the share of approved applications was higher than those rejected, was recorded in 2017. EUAA reveals that during this year, 51 per cent of asylum seekers from Iran were granted protection.
