A Cameroonian national, Jean Mboule, has won a lawsuit against France over his denied Schengen visa application, receiving €1,200 in compensation.
The legal victory came after a French court ordered the French embassy in Johannesburg, South Africa where Mboule applied for his visa, to pay him a fine of 1,200 euros.
The court ruled that Mboule’s denied Schengen visa, based on claims of “fake” documents, was unjust, as he and his South African wife submitted identical paperwork, yet only hers was approved.
Mboule, a French-born Cameroonian who spoke with the press after the legal victory, said he applied for a Schengen visa alongside his South African wife to travel to Europe.
According to him, despite using the same financial statements and documents, his application was rejected on the grounds of submitting fraudulent paperwork.
His wife’s visa, however, was approved without issue.
He said the development frustrated him. and he decided to take the French embassy to court, arguing the denial was baseless and discriminatory.
The court agreed, sanctioning the embassy over Mboule’s denied Schengen visa.
The court also ordered France to not only grant the visa but also pay Mboule €1,200 as compensation for the unfair treatment.
He said: “At the time she was unemployed but with a South African passport. She had no income but received a visa on the back of my financial statement.
“But the embassy said they refused my application because my documents were fake, and they weren’t sure I would come back to South Africa, where I am a permanent resident if I went to France.”
He revealed that after he got the visa, he chose to go to Mauritius instead as he didn’t want to spend his money in France.
Pan-Atlantic Kompass reports that Mboule’s case is unique as many Africans denied Schengen visas rarely appeal or contest the decisions in court. Instead, applicants often reapply, incurring additional costs in the process.
It was gathered that in 2024 alone, African applicants lost nearly €60 million ($67.5 million) in non-refundable Schengen visa fees.
Recall this digital magazine had earlier reported that Nigerian applicants lost €4.5 million due to rejected Schengen visa applications.
According to the data released by the European Union Commission, out of 111,201 Schengen visa applications filed by Nigerians, 45.9%, about 51,153, were denied, resulting in substantial financial losses for applicants.
