Pakistanis applying for visas to visit the United Kingdom and Schengen countries have a rejection rate of 40 per cent and 50 per cent respectively, resulting in significant costs for the applicants, Dawn reports citing a research report.
A Lago Collective study shows that Pakistanis spent £5.3 million on rejected UK visa applications in 2023, and €3.34m (£2.82m) on rejected Schengen applications during the same period.
The EUobserver has stated that EU governments raked in €130m (£109.76m) per year in rejected visa application fees, and African and Asian countries bear 90 per cent of the costs.
The analysis for Lego Collective, a community of researchers, policymakers and designers, was compiled by Marta Foresti and Otho Mantegazza.
Foresti told Dawn that the world's poor pay the price for this visa inequality. "You can think of the costs of rejected visas as ‘reverse remittances’, money flowing from poor to rich countries,” she added.
The high rejection rates is surprising given the multiple ties between Pakistan, Europe and the UK, she added.
She pointed out that the challenges faced by Pakistani nationals to reach Europe through legal means often forces them to approach human traffickers and undertake dangerous journeys.
The EUobserver report said the total sum is likely to increase in 2024 as both the EU and the UK have increased visa application fees, which are non-refundable regardless of the outcome.
The fee for Schengen visa has been raised to €90 this year from €80 last year, while for the UK visa it is now £120, up from £100.
Lago said that apart from visa application costs, applicants pay a much higher sum to private agencies involved in processing visa applications and brokers for additional services.
Bob Blackman MP speaks during the event