Schengen visa rejected 3 times

Question

I am a 28 year old, single male Indian citizen. I have a well-established, healthy business in India. I have a decent travel history to the UK, Vietnam and Thailand.

I want to attend the wedding of a friend in France. My Schengen visa applications got rejected 3 times in 3 months, twice from France and once from Spain, with the same reason for refusal — "information submitted is not reliable".

My applications contained legit documentation of all relevant information, including my travel history, business information, the invitation and a detailed itinerary, showing that I'll return to India. But still I have received the same sub-standard response.

Should I consider trying one more time as it is important for me to reach France to attend a important function? Also, if applying, should I state that I have been already refused 3 times?

Answer 1

Every time you make a repeat application after a rejection (unless you make significant changes to the application) it increases the belief in the officers that you have some motive for getting into Schengen other than the one you state. Applying to different countries for the same event will also increase that belief. It is also true that unless your circumstances have significantly changed since you were rejected your next application will also be rejected. Officers will do this virtually automatically unless they see a significant change in your circumstances.

You should stop making Schengen applications. It is unlikely that you will make it to this function, and if you keep making these applications it will reduce your chances of one day being able to visit Schengen. Instead look carefully at possible reasons for your rejection. Increase your ties to your home country. Improve your financial circumstances. Visit some other countries.

Answer 2

• When you apply, the very first thing that will happen is that they will pull up your data from the Schengen Visa Information System (VIS) and will see that you have already applied three times to two different countries and have been rejected each time.

• So they will start reviewing your application with a very sceptical point of view.

• You say you have an important function in France, but have applied twice to France and once to Spain. Was that always for the same event? Obviously the application to Spain for an event in France is not good. And if you came up with a different event then it looks like you are just desperate and visa shopping.

• Given the time scales it’s probably unlikely your reason was the same event each time. Again, if you absolutely need to attend event A but then absolutely need to attend event B and then absolutely need to attend event C (and now event D), that makes you look desperate and untrustworthy.

• Did you actually address any of their concerns? What was the information you provided? Do you have a stable, well paid job? (Well paid by French or Spanish standards, not your local ones). Do you have a good reason to go back home? What was the reason for your visit? If it was business, did it actually match your job? If it was for tourism, did you have an itinerary and was the cost of it proportionate to your revenue? Do you have friends or family in the Schengen Area? Did you provide pay slips and bank statements?

• What is “a good profile”? What is your job and your revenue and the evidence for it? What is a “decent travel history”? Have you ever traveled to the UK, US, Canada, Australia or Japan for instance?

Remember that you should put yourself in the shoes of a consular officer who reviews dozens of applications each day, with many of them (possibly a majority in some posts) just utter BS. You need to convince them your are a real, genuine visitor, and not someone just trying to emigrate, going under the radar as soon as you set foot in Europe to overstay and work illegally (or worse).

With the rejections you have as many red flags on your file. Unless there’s something very, very different (and real, of course) in your new application, it’s just a waste of time and money, and it will result in yet another red flag. The more you have the more difficult it is for you to overcome them.

If your situation is really that good, it should be easy to prove. If the reasons for your stay are legit, it should be easy as well.

I would not recommend you apply again for at least 5 years. If you really want/need to (for legitimate reasons), don’t do it unless someone experienced with this has reviewed your application. That means a good immigration lawyer (most likely in the destination country, not yours). That definitely does not mean any kind of “agency” who are only likely to make things even worse.

Answer 3

Since the authorities' second most important worry is illegal immigration (the first being terrorism), the likely major problems which led to your rejection are

1. No immediate family (wife, children).
2. No steady employment.

Without a family and a job, the authorities perceive a greater risk that you might have too little incentive to return. You didn't say whether you own real estate in India (privately or for your business); that would be another strong tie. You also didn't mention whether you have sufficient funds (by European standards) to sustain yourself during your visit. This is sometimes a problem when visiting friends and being accommodated by them because the stay may become very cheap (no hotels, no restaurants, no transportation). That is good for you but suspicious to the authorities who think you'll need to work illegally to sustain yourself.

You could improve your situation by

• Marrying
• Getting a steady job (e.g. from an uncle)
• Buying real estate in India (from the same uncle? But you'll need official proof)
• Have a lot of money on the account tied to your credit card (borrow it from your uncle if needed)

Not sure about the time frame and hence feasibility of any of these points, but I'm fairly sure that these are the red flags.