South African travel agents are reporting increased scrutiny of visa applications for younger travellers, with more visa refusals from consulates.
In a recent Travel News poll, nearly 70% of respondents had noticed an increase in visa rejections or requests for extra documentation from young adults and student travellers.
Andrea Bonalumi, Owner of Visa Box, said the reason for this was younger people seeking employment opportunities in other countries.
“The majority of these applicants do not qualify for any sort of initial work visa, so they try and apply for tourist-type visas knowing that they will be working illegally on that visa. Consulates have cottoned on to this trend and the results are more refusals,” said Bonalumi.
She said the US and European countries had seen the most refusals.
“Although I have seen many US visa applications being refused, I have never had a Schengen or visa application refused until recently,” said Harriet Fourie from Sky Arch Travel.
Her client was refused a French visa. The refusal letter stated that the information justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay were not reliable.
According to statistics from the European Commission, the refusal rate for Schengen applications in South Africa was 5,3%, an increase from the 3,3% recorded in 2019. In 2019, South Africans applied for a total 225 060 visas. Of this, 7 388 were not issued. In 2025, 195 946 visas were applied for and 10 203 were not issued.
US visa refusals had involved young applicants as well as fiancées and wives of young farmers already working in the country, Fourie said.
Why refusals are rising
Younger applicants can face greater scrutiny due to a lack of evidence showing an intention to return.
“These young applicants are not employed, they don’t own businesses or houses and are not married with children, so, in essence, they have nothing keeping them here,” said Bonalumi.
Natasha Hazell, an ITC with Pentravel, said consulates were looking for proof of what tied you to your country of residence. “If you apply for a visa and you are unemployed, there is a very big chance your visa will be denied. Young travellers have to be very careful when applying for visas because getting denied a visa could affect future travel opportunities.”
Improving applications
To help make sure their visa is not rejected, travellers should provide clear proof of their finances and travel plans.
“They can include evidence of arranged employment upon their return, ensure they have sufficient funds available to them (at least R2 000 per day), and clean up their social media to not reflect any ties to foreign potential employers,” said Bonalumi.
If the reason for a visa refusal is fixable, she said applicants could reapply. “If you cannot change it, it’s not worth reapplying as you will be refused on the same basis. Sometimes consulates are not forthcoming with their reasons for refusal which makes it very difficult to successfully reapply.”
Fourie’s client successfully reapplied for a French visa after submitting additional supporting documents. This included providing proof of additional funds, as well as proof of payment for all of his accommodation, which was paid for upfront.
“We also obtained invitation letters from two of his friends currently working in France, even though he had prepaid accommodation for the entire duration of his stay,” said Fourie.
She said applicants should apply in advance to avoid the financial risk of a refusal, particularly with strict airline cancellation and change fees, and upfront payment requirements for some hostels.
“I strongly recommend that that younger applicants submit their visa applications as early as possible to minimise the financial risk if the application is delayed or refused.”
