Visa refusal rates for Canada: Schengen countries (2025), easiest and hardest, the UK, Australia and New Zealand

Updated on 31 October 2026 · Data: European Commission, 2025

How many Schengen visa applications made in Canada were not issued in 2025, country by country and consulate by consulate, with the easiest and hardest countries for applicants from Canada, and how many UK visitor, study and work visa applications by nationals of Canada were refused, with the latest figures for Australia and New Zealand. Official figures only.

Key figures

In 2025, 43,982 Schengen visa applications were made in Canada.
In 2025, 9.0% of Schengen visa decisions on applications made in Canada were "not issued": 3,914 of 43,620 decisions.
Schengen countries issued 39,619 uniform visas on applications made in Canada in 2025.
The 2025 not-issued rate in Canada was 4.0 percentage points higher than in 2024, when it was 5.0%.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); calendar year 2025, compared with 2024. Not-issued rate = visas not issued ÷ (uniform visas issued + visas with limited territorial validity + visas not issued). © European Union; reuse allowed under CC BY 4.0 (Commission legal notice, Decision 2011/833/EU, checked on 31 October 2026). Download these figures (CSV), CC BY 4.0.

Applying for a visa to Canada? This page is about Schengen visas applied for in Canada. For Canada's own visas see Canada visa refusal and approval rates by nationality.

Visa refusal ratesCanada

Schengen visas · applications made in Canada · 2025: 9.0% not issued (3,914 of 43,620 decisions)

43,982applications

39,619uniform visas issued

3,914not issued

+4.0 ptschange on 2024 (5.0%)

Easiest Schengen visa from Canada, by the numbers: the lowest not-issued rate among Schengen countries with at least 500 decisions was Greece (1.6%); the highest was Portugal (23.7%). Full ranking by country and consulate. Of the 74 countries with the most applications, Canada ranks 18 (1 = lowest rate). Multiple-entry visas: 43.5% of uniform visas issued in 2025 (by country).

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026); European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2024 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

United Kingdom · nationals of Canada · July 2025 to June 202617.9% of visitor visa decisions refused (details)

0.6%study visas refused · 4,010 decisions

1.5%work visas refused · 5,181 decisions

Source: Home Office, entry clearance visa outcomes, published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026

Australia, New Zealand and Canada · by citizenship: Latest official full-year figures for nationals of this country

1.4%Australia student visas refused · 2025-26 · 1,627 decisions

11.0%New Zealand visitor visas declined · 2025/26 · 502 decisions

Sources: Home Affairs BP0015 (to 30 September 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU); Immigration New Zealand (to 30 September 2026, CC BY 3.0 NZ); downloaded on 26 October 2026. Details and definitions below.

Statistics, not advice. These are official figures for all applications made in a past period. They cannot predict the decision on your application, and a lower rate does not make a visa easier for you: you must apply to the Schengen country where you will spend the most time (or, for equal stays, the one you enter first), at the consulate responsible for the place where you legally live. Always follow the consulate's official requirements.

Schengen visa rejection rate by country, applications made in Canada

Tap a column heading to sort. "Not issued" includes refusals and applications whose examination was discontinued. * Fewer than 100 decisions: the rate can swing a lot.


France	9.4%	7.4%	14,274	12,482	1,288
Netherlands	2.5%	1.2%	5,445	5,188	132
Switzerland	5.2%	3.5%	4,558	4,301	236
Italy	8.0%	3.0%	4,435	4,078	357
Portugal	23.7%	2.0%	3,536	3,154	982
Germany	3.8%	4.7%	2,681	2,544	102
Spain	5.1%	1.4%	2,074	1,872	102
Belgium	21.3%	8.6%	1,668	1,231	334
Greece	1.6%	0.4%	1,341	1,310	22
Austria	4.2%	6.7%	1,092	970	43
Poland	13.9%	10.2%	635	542	88
Czech Republic	5.4%	4.5%	590	558	32
Hungary	14.8%	13.0%	430	351	61
Croatia	11.7%	6.9%	404	340	45
Bulgaria	4.0%	4.0%	190	170	7
Slovenia	5.2%	10.1%	158	139	8
Estonia	30.8%	30.4%	155	107	48
Romania	5.9%	7.5%	135	127	8
Lithuania	23.9%*	33.0%	68	51	16
Malta	2.0%*	4.3%	51	50	1
Slovakia	2.2%*	0.0%	46	44	1
Latvia	8.3%*	0.0%	11	10	1
Finland	0.0%*	0.0%	5	0	0

Easiest Schengen visa from Canada: lowest and highest refusal rates (2025)

Which Schengen country has the lowest rejection rate for applicants from Canada? Among the 12 Schengen countries that decided at least 500 applications made in Canada in 2025, Greece had the lowest not-issued rate (1.6%) and Portugal the highest (23.7%). Smaller numbers move too much from year to year to compare. These rates describe past decisions, not your chances. See the easiest Schengen visa from Canada: all countries and consulates ranked.

Lowest refusal rates

1Greece1,337 decisions1.6%
2Netherlands5,337 decisions2.5%
3Germany2,654 decisions3.8%
4Austria1,015 decisions4.2%
5Spain1,984 decisions5.1%

Highest refusal rates

1Portugal4,137 decisions23.7%
2Belgium1,565 decisions21.3%
3Poland632 decisions13.9%

A lower rate is not a guarantee, and you cannot choose freely. Each rate mixes different travellers, purposes and documents. You must apply to the country of your main destination: the rule is on the European Commission page on applying for a Schengen visa (checked on 15 October 2026). Applying to a country you do not plan to visit mainly can itself lead to a refusal.

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

Multiple-entry Schengen visas issued in Canada (2025)

Multiple-entry visasCanada · 2025

Schengen visas issued in Canada · 2025: 43.5% were multiple-entry visas (17,245 of 39,619 uniform visas issued)

43.9%in 2024

−0.4 ptschange on 2024

Netherlandshighest share: 84.0%

Spainlowest share: 7.3%

Among the 12 Schengen countries that issued at least 500 visas in Canada in 2025, Netherlands gave the highest share of multiple-entry visas (84.0%) and Spain the lowest (7.3%). All Schengen visas issued worldwide in 2025: 51.7% multiple-entry. Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country and by place of application.

Schengen countries that issued at least 500 uniform visas in Canada in 2025, from the highest share of multiple-entry visas. Tap a column heading to sort. "Change" is in percentage points; * fewer than 500 visas issued in 2024. Not shown (fewer than 500 visas issued): Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia.


Netherlands	84.0%	84.0%	+0.1 pts	5,188	4,360
Italy	82.2%	85.5%	−3.3 pts	4,078	3,351
Germany	73.9%	98.1%	−24.2 pts	2,544	1,881
Belgium	59.6%	73.4%	−13.8 pts	1,231	734
Greece	54.0%	49.7%	+4.4 pts	1,310	708
Switzerland	48.1%	45.0%	+3.1 pts	4,301	2,069
Poland	28.2%	32.3%*	–	542	153
Portugal	22.1%	40.4%	−18.3 pts	3,154	697
France	17.8%	8.6%	+9.2 pts	12,482	2,221
Czech Republic	16.5%	15.1%	+1.4 pts	558	92
Austria	14.0%	8.4%	+5.7 pts	970	136
Spain	7.3%	12.4%	−5.1 pts	1,872	136

What this share means, and what it does not. A multiple-entry visa "allows several visits to the Schengen area for as long as the visa is valid"; a single-entry visa allows one entry (European Commission, checked on 30 October 2026). Every visit is still a short stay, of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. A multiple-entry visa is not a long-stay visa, a work permit or a residence permit. The Commission's file only says whether each visa allows multiple entries: it does not say how long the visas were valid for. The share describes visas issued in the past, not your chances: the consulate decides the number of entries and the validity of each visa.

By consulate

Each Schengen country's consulates (or visa sections) in Canada, by number of applications in 2025. Where a country is represented by another, the applications appear under the country that decided them.


France	Montreal	9.4%	14,274	1,288
Germany	Toronto	3.8%	2,681	102
Switzerland	Vancouver	4.3%	2,521	109
Netherlands	Vancouver	2.3%	2,368	54
Netherlands	Toronto	2.5%	2,323	58
Portugal	Toronto	10.0%	2,316	232
Switzerland	Montreal	6.2%	2,034	127
Italy	Toronto	0.8%	1,849	15
Belgium	Montreal	21.3%	1,668	334
Italy	Montreal	14.6%	1,655	241
Spain	Toronto	6.0%	1,333	76
Austria	Ottawa	4.2%	1,092	43
Portugal	Montreal	15.6%	781	122
Netherlands	Ottawa	2.8%	754	20
Italy	Vancouver	13.2%	700	93
Greece	Toronto	0.7%	575	4
Czech Republic	Toronto	3.7%	462	17
Spain	Montreal	3.0%	451	13
Hungary	Ottawa	14.8%	430	61
Greece	Ottawa	2.1%	336	7
Portugal	Vancouver	68.9%	296	617
Poland	Toronto	17.0%	292	49
Spain	Ottawa	4.6%	290	13
Croatia	Mississauga	8.2%	253	20
Italy	Ottawa	3.5%	231	8
Greece	Vancouver	0.0%	219	0
Greece	Montreal	5.2%	211	11
Bulgaria	Toronto	4.1%	185	7
Slovenia	Ottawa	5.2%	158	8
Estonia	Ottawa	30.8%	155	48
Croatia	Ottawa	17.7%	151	25
Portugal	Ottawa	7.7%	143	11
Poland	Vancouver	1.4%	139	2
Czech Republic	Ottawa	11.7%	128	15
Poland	Montreal	22.3%	128	29
Romania	Toronto	5.2%*	77	4
Poland	Ottawa	10.7%*	76	8
Lithuania	Ottawa	23.9%*	68	16
Malta	Toronto	2.0%*	51	1
Slovakia	Ottawa	2.2%*	46	1
Romania	Vancouver	7.9%*	38	3
Romania	Montreal	5.0%*	20	1
Latvia	Ottawa	8.3%*	11	1
Bulgaria	Ottawa	0.0%*	5	0
Finland	Ottawa	0.0%*	5	0
Switzerland	Ottawa	0.0%*	3	0

Source: European Commission, Visa statistics for consulates 2025 (XLSX, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Short-stay (Schengen) visas, calendar year. All years on the Commission website.

UK visa refusal rate for nationals of Canada: visitor, study and work visas

From July 2025 to June 2026, the UK refused 17.9% of visitor visa decisions for nationals of Canada (91 refused out of 508). 0.6% of study visa decisions were refused (4,010 decisions); 1.5% of work visa decisions were refused (5,181 decisions). Unlike the Schengen figures, the UK counts applicants by nationality, wherever they apply. With only 508 visitor visa decisions, read this rate with care: where most nationals can visit the UK without a visa, the people who apply for one are a small and unusual group.

Visa type	Refused 12 months to Jun 2026	Year before 12 months to Jun 2025	Decisions	Granted	Refused
Visitor visas	17.9%	12.6%	508	417	91
Study visas	0.6%	1.0%	4,010	3,984	26
Work visas	1.5%	1.8%	5,181	5,103	78
Family visas	7.3%	5.7%	490	454	36
of which partner (spouse) visas	7.1%*	4.8%	452	420	32
Other visas	4.0%	5.5%	425	408	17
All visas	2.3%	2.2%	10,614	10,366	248

Source: Home Office, Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending June 2026 (XLSX, published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026; next update 26 November 2026). Refusal rate = refused ÷ (granted + refused), as in the Home Office grant rate; withdrawn and lapsed applications are excluded. Figures from 2026 Q1 are provisional.

Visitor visas, quarter by quarter

4.3%Q3
2024 92 decisions
15.4%Q4
2024 52 decisions
13.0%Q1
2025 100 decisions
16.1%Q2
2025 161 decisions
18.8%Q3
2025 165 decisions
19.8%Q4
2025 96 decisions
11.8%Q1
2026 119 decisions
21.1%Q2
2026 128 decisions

Source: Home Office, same file as above (published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026). Each bar is the share of visitor visa decisions taken in that quarter that were refusals; 2026 figures are provisional.

Study and work visas, quarter by quarter


Q3 2024	0.7%	2,995	1.9%	1,625
Q4 2024	0.6%	309	2.0%	1,130
Q1 2025	10.4%*	77	1.7%	1,076
Q2 2025	1.4%	505	1.6%	1,478
Q3 2025	0.4%	3,197	1.9%	1,695
Q4 2025	2.3%	266	1.9%	1,073
Q1 2026	3.3%*	91	1.4%	1,087
Q2 2026	0.7%	456	0.8%	1,326

Source: Home Office, Entry clearance visa applications and outcomes detailed datasets, year ending June 2026 (XLSX, published 27 August 2026, downloaded on 15 October 2026). "Study" is the Home Office group for sponsored study (Student, Child Student) and short-term study visas; "Work" groups all work routes (Skilled Worker, Health and Care Worker, temporary and seasonal work, Global Business Mobility, talent and business visas, and their dependants). * Fewer than 100 decisions; 2026 figures are provisional.

Australia student visa refusal rate for nationals of Canada (2025-26)

In the Australian financial year 2025-26 (July 2025 to June 2026), Australia refused 1.4% of student visa decisions for primary applicants who are nationals of Canada and applied from outside Australia (23 refused out of 1,627). In 2024-25: 0.7% (+0.7 pts). From July to September 2026: 2.8% (6 of 214 decisions, a small number: read with care). Like the UK, Australia counts applicants by citizenship, wherever they apply.


Primary applicants applying from outside Australia	1.4%	0.7%	2.8%*	1,627	23
Primary applicants applying in Australia	8.3%*	8.1%*	–	300	25
Family members (secondary applicants)	24.1%*	14.5%*	–	108	26
All student visa applicants	3.6%	2.9%	4.0%*	2,035	74

Source: Australian Government Department of Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates (XLSX on data.gov.au, decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026), licensed under CC BY 2.5 AU. Student visas (subclass 500); refusal rate = refused ÷ (granted + refused), the complement of the Department's grant rate. The Department says the figures are provisional and is not responsible for our analysis. * Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100.

Student visas by education sector (primary applicants outside Australia)


Higher education (university)	1.5%	0.7%	1,001	15
Non-award courses	0.4%	0.0%	518	2

Source: Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). * Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100. Not shown (fewer than 100 decisions in 2025-26): Vocational education and training (VET), Postgraduate research, Schools, Foreign Affairs or Defence, English language courses (ELICOS).

Month by month (primary applicants outside Australia)

2%Oct
2025 112 decisions
0%Nov
2025 510 decisions
1%Dec
2025 300 decisions
1%Jan
2026 147 decisions
5%Feb
2026 65 decisions
0%Mar
2026 31 decisions
2%Apr
2026 52 decisions
3%May
2026 119 decisions
3%Jun
2026 71 decisions
1%Jul
2026 75 decisions
7%Aug
2026 58 decisions
1%Sep
2026 81 decisions

Source: Home Affairs BP0015, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). Each bar is the share of decisions in that month that were refusals; monthly figures can be small and move a lot.

Year by year


2016-17	0.5%	1,950	0.7%	2,520
2017-18	0.5%	2,096	0.6%	2,696
2018-19	0.4%	1,980	0.8%	2,550
2019-20	0.3%	1,664	1.1%	2,212
2020-21	1.7%	601	1.6%	1,094
2021-22	1.1%	1,087	1.9%	1,443
2022-23	0.9%	1,674	1.4%	2,255
2023-24	0.9%	1,636	2.4%	2,086
2024-25	0.7%	1,551	2.9%	2,022
2025-26	1.4%	1,627	3.6%	2,035
July to September 2026 (2026-27)	2.8%*	214	4.0%*	298

Source: Home Affairs, BP0015 Student visa grant rates, same file as above (decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, CC BY 2.5 AU). Financial years run from July to June.

All nationalities, by sector and month: Australia student visa refusal rate by nationality.

New Zealand visa decline rate for nationals of Canada (2025/26)

In the New Zealand financial year 2025/26 (July 2025 to June 2026), Immigration New Zealand declined 11.0% of visitor visa applications from nationals of Canada (55 declined out of 502 decided); 3.6% of work visa applications (2,731 decisions). INZ counts applications by the country that issued the passport, and its "declined" figure includes applications that were withdrawn, so these rates are not directly comparable with the UK or Australian refusal rates.


Visitor visas	11.0%	10.6%	5.4%*	502	55
Student visas	4.5%*	1.7%*	–	463	21
Work visas	3.6%	4.5%	3.6%	2,731	97

Source: Immigration New Zealand (Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment): Visitors Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision; Student Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision; Work Visas decided (applications), by nationality and financial year of decision (PDF, prepared 8 October 2026, decisions to 30 September 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Crown copyright, licensed under CC BY 3.0 NZ (copyright notice). Decline rate = declined ÷ (approved + declined), applications; INZ counts withdrawn applications as declined. Financial years run from July to June.

New Zealand, year by year


2016/17	10.0%*	449	1.6%*	496	5.8%	4,714
2017/18	7.9%*	419	3.6%*	478	6.6%	4,850
2018/19	7.3%*	480	1.6%*	441	6.2%	4,900
2019/20	10.2%*	449	2.2%*	456	6.5%	3,871
2020/21	7.2%	800	4.4%*	183	4.7%	1,743
2021/22	5.5%	697	0.4%*	240	2.6%	2,161
2022/23	11.3%	612	4.4%*	479	6.2%	3,636
2023/24	11.6%	576	2.1%*	472	5.3%	3,048
2024/25	10.6%	537	1.7%*	463	4.5%	2,927
2025/26	11.0%	502	4.5%*	463	3.6%	2,731
July to September 2026 (2026/27)	5.4%*	112	–	55	3.6%	786

Source: Immigration New Zealand statistics, same PDFs as above (prepared 8 October 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026, Crown copyright, CC BY 3.0 NZ). Declined includes withdrawn applications.

* Fewer than 500 decisions; – fewer than 100. All nationalities: New Zealand visa decline rate by nationality.

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How to read these figures

Where you apply, not your passport. The Schengen figures count applications made in Canada, including residents of other nationalities, and leave out nationals of Canada who applied elsewhere.
Not-issued rate = visas not issued ÷ (uniform visas issued + visas with limited territorial validity + visas not issued), the formula in the Commission's file. Applications still pending at the end of the year are not counted.
If you are refused, the consulate must tell you why and how to appeal (European Commission).
Australia, New Zealand and Canada count applicants by citizenship (Canada: "source country"), like the UK, and each authority defines its rate differently: see the notes under each table.
Full method: how we calculate the rates.

Other countries where people apply

Libya15.6% not issued in 2025 Singapore5.1% not issued in 2025 Bangladesh54.5% not issued in 2025 Cuba21.8% not issued in 2025 DR Congo40.1% not issued in 2025 Dominican Republic26.6% not issued in 2025 Oman10.5% not issued in 2025 Israel18.5% not issued in 2025

Schengen visa refusal rates by country, 2025 · Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country · UK visa refusal rates by nationality · Australia · New Zealand · Canada · Visa income calculator