UK, Schengen states make millions off rejected visas

The United Kingdom and Schengen countries raised millions of pounds and euros in fees from rejected visa applications from Pakistan, new research published this month shows. The analysis released by Lago Collective, a community of researchers, policymakers and designers, shows that Pakistanis spent £5.3 million on rejected UK visa applications, with close to 40 per cent applications rejected from Pakistan in 2023. In the same year, around 50pc of Schengen visas from Pakistan were also rejected, with €3.344m spent on applications. The data was published in collaboration with the EUobserver, which reported that EU governments raked in €130m per year in rejected visa application fees, which were dubbed as ‘reverse remittances’.