Türkiye has ceded its position as the country with the largest number of denied Schengen visa applications in 2021 to Algeria, while topping the list of countries with the most applications, reported a Schengen-related news publishing website.
The Schengen crisis, a long-standing issue for Türkiye, has now turned into a growing problem for many nations seeking visas within the region. Although the European Union claims to have issued more visas than in previous years, the significant number of refusals faced by a large portion of the population continues to disrupt plans.
According to data shared by SchengenVisaInfo, Algeria leads the pack in terms of visa rejections in 2022, followed by India and Türkiye, respectively. Out of over 390,000 visa applications submitted from Algeria last year, nearly 180,000 were rejected, dethroning Türkiye from its top position in 2021.
Meanwhile, India faced over 670,000 applications in 2022, with around 120,000 of them resulting in unfavorable outcomes. Türkiye, with 778,000 applications in 2022, saw 120,000 rejections.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan previously denounced the visa obstacle as "political blackmail." However, the European Union Commission countered, placing the blame on consular staff shortages as the reason for Turkish individuals' difficulties in obtaining visas rather than any negative sentiments toward the country.
Meanwhile, Europe witnessed declining tourism demand from within. Data released by the European Travel Commission indicated a 4% decrease in the number of Europeans planning trips between June and November compared to the previous year due to cost concerns.
In the mean time, a 17-year-old musician Güneş Tunçkıran, who has won numerous awards in international competitions, has encountered a visa issue that might prevent him from attending a prestigious music school in Germany for his future education.
Tunçkıran developed his interest in music under the influence of his pianist grandfather Bora Şakarca at 6. He was recently accepted for a summer training camp by a music school in Germany, which will supposedly begin its training program on July 25.
Nevertheless, Turkish citizens' applications for Schengen visas are being rejected at a rate of 50%, a sector representative highlighted, adding that these cancelations are seriously disrupting travel and business plans.
