A two-page-long Schengen Visa rejection letter shared on Twitter by a user with the handler @Aprilbox has been called “shocking” and “horrible” by other Twitter users who have also shared their unpleasant experiences with Schengen visa application procedures.
The person who shared the letter, claims that the same has been received by an acquaintance of his, who already holds a visa granted by the United States.
The Schengen Visa application has been submitted at the Swedish visa application centre in Nigeria for a 14-day tourism trip, which amongst the first reasons for the visa rejection has listed the security and economic crisis in Nigeria, expressing its doubts on the applicant’s real purposes behind the visa applications.
“There is therefore a high risk that Nigerian citizens do not leave the territory of the Member States before the expiry of the visa applied for. The applicant must therefore be well established in their home country to be able to be granted a visa,” the letter reads.
To support its claims, the Embassy has argued that the applicant stated that he owned a company, and submitted certificates to the embassy in this regard, but the latter points out that there have not been submitted stronger evidence to prove that the applicant has access to the assets or a fixed monthly income from the business.
In addition, it also claimed that the bank statements provided by the applicant were not enough to prove he is well established in his home country as “a bank balance is also considered movable assets.”
“Furthermore, the bank statements do not show that your financial situation has been stable over a longer period of time. You have also not shown any personal ownership of property or other financial ties to your home country,” the letter reads.
Another reason listed behind this Schengen visa rejection is that, according to the embassy there’s a huge market of forged documents by private individuals in Nigeria, putting into doubt whether the documents submitted by the applicants are genuine.
Adding to all this the fact that the applicant has never been to the Schengen Zone before, the Swedish embassy has decided to reject the visa application, calling the stated purpose behind the trip questionable.
“I’m not sure if I should accept this as a refusal letter from an embassy. It is full of stereotypes and I don’t think this is an acceptable way to draft one,” a Twitter user wrote under the letter, in addition to hundreds of others actually blaming the applicant for not submitting stronger evidence of ties to the home country and financial proof.
“Imagine them telling you that your state of origin is a hub for forged document,” another one said focusing more on Embassy’s claims that trade in forged documents by private individuals and corruption in connection with the issuing of documents by the authorities “is common in Nigeria.”
Nigeria has one of the highest Schengen visa rejection rates, with 45.6 per cent of visa applications filed in this country in 2022 having been rejected, or 39,189 out of 86,815. The country is the 22nd largest source of Schengen visa applicants in the world.
