The Spanish and Dominican Republic officials have met to address allegations that Spain is mistreating and unfairly processing Schengen visa applications filed by Dominicans.
Through an official statement, the Spanish Embassy in the Dominican Republic said that during this meeting, the Spanish authorities explained more deeply the rules that Dominicans must meet when applying for Schengen visas, Schengen.News reports.
Moreover, the authorities also provided explanations regarding some specific cases that raised concerns among the Dominican Republic authorities.
The meeting of both countries’ authorities comes after 32 senators of the Dominican Republic sent a letter to the Spanish ambassador in the country, Antonio Pérez-Hernández, in which they expressed their concerns about the high number of visa rejections for Dominicans.
Senators Said Spain Is Unfairly Rejecting Visas for Dominicans
In their letter, the senators said that they receive multiple complaints on a daily basis from Dominicans who receive a negative response to their visa application. The senators further complained that the Spanish authorities are providing the same reason for denial in almost all cases.
As explained by the senators, most Spanish Schengen visa applications filed by Dominicans are being rejected with the pretext that the applicants do not have sufficient financial means for their planned stay in the country.
The senators further said they had received information that the Spanish consul, Jorge Cabeza, is not evaluating the applications in the best way possible and is abusing his functions.
In response, the Spanish Consulate in the Dominican Republic said that they would provide the best possible services to the citizens of the country and said that it is important that they discuss and address all issues affecting their bilateral relationship.
Nationals of Dominican Republic Filed Over 32,000 Spanish Schengen Visa Applications in 2023
According to the data provided by the Schengen Statistics Portal, Spain is the top destination for Dominican Schengen visa applicants. In 2023, Spain received a total of 32,068 Schengen visa applications from Dominicans.
Of these applicants, 23,998 were issued a Spanish Schengen visa, while 7,030 of them had their visa applications rejected.
After Spain, Dominicans submitted the highest number of applications to Italy and France – 7,314 and 5,166, respectively.
Source: https://schengen.news/spain-addresses-schengen-visa-complaints-from-dominicans/
