While everyone has the same opportunity to apply for an Italian visa, and all applications go through the same administrative procedures, some nationalities have it harder than others to be granted one.
According to statistics published, applicants from several African and Asian countries are less likely to be granted a Schengen visa by Italy, as rejection rates are higher than the average of 87.55 per cent, Schengen.News reports.
Italy has received 1.1 million applications for Schengen visas in 2023, ranking fourth for most visa requests. France, Germany and Spain are the top three.
Bangladeshi Nationals Are Least Likely to Be Granted a Schengen Visa by Italy
More than half (59.04 per cent) of visa applications filed by Bangladeshi nationals in 2023 were rejected, indicating that Bangladeshis have the hardest time obtaining an Italian Schengen visa.
The data reveals that 13,705 visa applications were received by Bangladeshi nationals in 2023, 5,599 (40.85 per cent) of which were approved and 8,092 (59.04 per cent) were rejected.
While Bangladeshis are the most rejected nationality for Italian visas, their top destination to apply for a Schengen visa remains Italy, representing 34.5 per cent of all visa applications filed for the year.
Sweden is the second most popular destination, receiving 11,416 visa applications or 28.7 per cent of all requests filed by Bangladeshis.
These Nationalities Are Likely to Be Rejected Visa Requests by Italy
Apart from Bangladeshis, who were rejected visas most frequently, the top ten nationalities that have it difficult to obtain an Italian visa, based on their rejection rates, are as follows:
- Gabonese
- Sinhalese
- Ghanaians
- Dominicans
- Ivorians
- Angolans
- Algerians
- Cameroonians
- Sudanese
Gabonese filed 705 visa requests to Italy in 2023, and 45.18 per cent of them were rejected. The rejection rates were also high for applicants from Sri Lanka (44.43 per cent), resulting in only 2,240 visas approved out of 4,031 rejections. At similar rates (44.29 per cent), Ghanaians were also less favourable to obtaining visas from Italy – with1,230 out of 2,208 applications being approved.
Dominicans filed 7,314 applications to Italy, 3,196 of which were rejected, resulting in a rejection rate of 43.7 per cent. Ivorians were rejected 43.7 per cent of all visa applications, which is a total of 1,540 requests.
Angolans were denied 615 visa applications, which is 41 per cent of all applications filed by this nationality, while Algerians emerged as the nationality that had the highest number of rejected visas. In total, 10,453 visa applications were turned down by Italian authorities, accounting for 39.92 per cent of requests being rejected.
Cameroonians had a rejection rate of 38.66 per cent (2,271 rejected visas), while Sudanese were denied 107 visa applications, representing 38.63 per cent of all visa requests filed by this nationality.
