“When denial becomes the norm and permission the exception, then diplomacy has turned into economic discrimination.”

To the European Union Member States, Schengen Area Diplomats,

To the Institutions Governing U.S. Visas from Africa:

U.S. Department of State – Bureau of Consular Affairs,

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS),

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP),

And to the Institutions Governing Canadian Visas from Africa:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC),

Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA),

Visa Application Centers (VACs) – e.g., VFS Global:

I write to you not merely as a scholar, but as an African voice echoing the silent anguish of millions—young professionals, students, innovators, artists, and thought leaders—denied entry not into privilege, but into fairness. What began as a system to manage borders has now mutated into a systematic and silent war of attrition against African dignity. This is no longer immigration control; it is economic apartheid in its most bureaucratic form.

According to the LAGO Collective, Africa lost over €60 million in 2024 alone to Schengen visa application fees for applications that were ultimately denied. These were full payments for services never rendered. This is not merely inefficiency—it is reverse aid, a shameful transfer of wealth from the world’s poorest continent to the wealthiest. Unlike official development aid, this extraction carries no accountability, no transparency, and no return on investment.

Visa apartheid has become a cruel and complex form of economic discrimination cloaked in legalism. Rejection is now the norm, approval the rare exception. In Nigeria alone, applicants paid over €12.5 million in visa fees in 2024, yet 60% of them were denied. Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa all tell the same story—with rejection rates ranging between 45% and 60%. No refunds. No appeals. No explanations. Only silence.

Here’s a snapshot of the silent theft:

Estimated Losses in 2024 (Visa Fees Paid vs. Rejected):

Nigeria: €12.5 million paid – €7.5 million lost

Ghana: €8.1 million paid – €4.5 million lost

Uganda: €3.2 million paid – €1.5 million lost

Kenya: €6.9 million paid – €3.6 million lost

South Africa: €4.3 million paid – €1.9 million lost

Total Estimate: Over €35 million lost through rejection.

And this is only what we can quantify.

The damage goes beyond currency. Visa apartheid is psychological warfare—undermining confidence, eroding dignity, and weaponizing mobility. It tells the African researcher she is a risk, the entrepreneur he is not credible, and the student that knowledge is a western preserve. Decisions are increasingly made through opaque algorithms, with built-in bias that confuse risk profiling with racial profiling. Whole nationalities are rejected based not on individual merit, but on passport origin.

So we ask:

Is a visa denial worth more than a young African’s dreams?

Why is there no refund for denied applications?

Would European or North American citizens accept such a system from African governments?

Why must African applicants produce documents proving their “innocence,” while Westerners walk in visa-free?

This is not diplomacy. This is institutionalized humiliation.

We therefore demand change—on moral, legal, and reciprocal grounds.

1. Transparency: Publish embassy-level visa rejection rates annually.

2. Refund Mechanism: Denied applications should not be revenue streams.

3. Bilateral Leverage: African states must negotiate fair visa conditions in all cooperation agreements.

4. African Visa Reciprocity Policy: Visa denial must be met with equal restriction.

5. Legal Redress Channels: Independent oversight of visa abuses must be established.

The world speaks of equality and global citizenship. But how can there be global citizenship when the gate is locked, the key withheld, and the price of asking is non-refundable?

This is not a plea for access—it is a demand for justice. Visa apartheid is not about travel. It is about dignity, global equity, and sovereignty. If Africa must bleed just to knock on Europe's and North America's doors, then those doors must be held accountable for what they cost.

Signed,

Isaac Christopher Lubogo

Scholar | Advocate | Citizen of a Wounded Continent

#EndVisaApartheid