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

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

Visa refusal ratesIraq

Schengen visas · applications made in Iraq · 2025: 34.3% not issued (23,692 of 69,123 decisions)

70,312applications

45,113uniform visas issued

23,692not issued

+0.3 ptschange on 2024 (34.0%)

Easiest Schengen visa from Iraq, by the numbers: the lowest not-issued rate among Schengen countries with at least 500 decisions was Italy (25.0%); the highest was Hungary (84.2%). Full ranking by country and consulate. Of the 74 countries with the most applications, Iraq ranks 59 (1 = lowest rate). Multiple-entry visas: 35.9% 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 Iraq · July 2025 to June 202648.3% of visitor visa decisions refused (details)

17.5%study visas refused · 762 decisions

7.4%family visas refused · 2,574 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

36.4%Canada temporary resident applications approved · 2025 · 6,585 processed

Sources: IRCC (2025, Open Government Licence – Canada); 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 Iraq

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.

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.

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

Which Schengen country has the lowest rejection rate for Iraqi applicants? Among the 10 Schengen countries that decided at least 500 applications made in Iraq in 2025, Italy had the lowest not-issued rate (25.0%) and Hungary the highest (84.2%). 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 Iraq: all countries and consulates ranked.

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 Iraq (2025)

Multiple-entry visasIraq · 2025

Schengen visas issued in Iraq · 2025: 35.9% were multiple-entry visas (16,191 of 45,113 uniform visas issued)

45.6%in 2024

−9.7 ptschange on 2024

Germanyhighest share: 71.4%

Polandlowest share: 9.4%

Among the 9 Schengen countries that issued at least 500 visas in Iraq in 2025, Germany gave the highest share of multiple-entry visas (71.4%) and Poland the lowest (9.4%). All Schengen visas issued worldwide in 2025: 51.7% multiple-entry. Multiple-entry Schengen visas by country and by place of application.

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.

Schengen countries that issued at least 500 uniform visas in Iraq 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): Croatia, Hungary.

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.

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 Iraq, by number of applications in 2025. Where a country is represented by another, the applications appear under the country that decided them.

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 Iraq: visitor, study and family visas

From July 2025 to June 2026, the UK refused 48.3% of visitor visa decisions for nationals of Iraq (8,749 refused out of 18,120). 17.5% of study visa decisions were refused (762 decisions); 7.4% of family visa decisions were refused (2,574 decisions). For partner (spouse) visas alone the rate was 5.7% (129 refused out of 2,265 decisions; compare all nationalities). Unlike the Schengen figures, the UK counts applicants by nationality, wherever they apply.

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

1. 42.8%Q3
   2024 6,251 decisions
2. 46.7%Q4
   2024 4,745 decisions
3. 40.4%Q1
   2025 3,820 decisions
4. 34.7%Q2
   2025 6,616 decisions
5. 44.2%Q3
   2025 6,227 decisions
6. 54.7%Q4
   2025 4,784 decisions
7. 50.5%Q1
   2026 3,110 decisions
8. 45.2%Q2
   2026 3,999 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 family visas, quarter by quarter

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). "Family" is the Home Office group for people joining a British citizen or a person settled in the UK (partners, children and other relatives) and for refugee family reunion; "partner" is the Home Office visa type "Family: Partner", the route for spouses, civil partners and unmarried partners. * Fewer than 100 decisions; 2026 figures are provisional.

Australia student visa refusal rate

In 2025-26 Australia decided 28 student visa applications from primary applicants who are nationals of Iraq and applied from outside Australia, fewer than the 500 we need to show a meaningful rate. See Australia visa refusal rates for all nationalities.

New Zealand visa decline rate

In 2025/26 Immigration New Zealand decided at most 144 visitor, student or work visa applications from nationals of Iraq in each category, fewer than the 500 we need to show a meaningful rate. See New Zealand visa decline rates for all nationalities.

Canada: temporary resident applications from Iraq approved (2025)

In 2025, IRCC approved 36.4% of the temporary resident applications from Iraq that it processed (2,395 approved out of 6,585 people). This share mixes visitor visas, study permits and work permits, first applications and extensions; "processed" includes applications refused and withdrawn, so the other 63.6% were refused or withdrawn. In 2024: 30.4%. January to August 2026: 44.0% (5,125 processed).

No study permit or visitor visa refusal rate. For each country IRCC publishes only the number of new study permit applications processed (320 from Iraq in 2025) and the number of visitor visas approved (845), never both for the same visa, so a study permit or visitor visa refusal rate cannot be calculated from the official files.

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Operational Processing – Monthly IRCC Updates: temporary resident applications processed, temporary resident applications approved, new study permit applications processed, visitor visas (V-1) approved (XLSX, data as of September 1, 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. IRCC rounds counts to the nearest 5 and does not publish counts from 1 to 4; the data are operational and subject to change.

Approved share, month by month (all temporary resident applications)

1. 43%Sep
   2025 505 processed
2. 36%Oct
   2025 645 processed
3. 36%Nov
   2025 745 processed
4. 47%Dec
   2025 655 processed
5. 51%Jan
   2026 370 processed
6. 54%Feb
   2026 480 processed
7. 45%Mar
   2026 625 processed
8. 45%Apr
   2026 495 processed
9. 43%May
   2026 985 processed
10. 35%Jun
    2026 790 processed
11. 40%Jul
    2026 720 processed
12. 47%Aug
    2026 660 processed

Source: IRCC, same files as above (data as of September 1, 2026, downloaded on 26 October 2026). Each bar is approved ÷ processed in that month. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

All countries: Canada temporary resident approval rate by country.

Travel medical insurance

Affiliate

A Schengen visa application must include medical insurance covering emergency medical care, hospitalisation and repatriation (European Commission, checked on 15 October 2026). SafetyWing's own FAQ says many members have used its Nomad Insurance for visa applications, Schengen included, but that it cannot guarantee every authority will accept it (SafetyWing FAQ, read on 31 October 2026). Check the minimum cover, the countries and the dates the consulate asks for, and the certificate you need, before you buy any policy.

See SafetyWing travel medical insurance (opens in a new tab)

SafetyWing sells travel medical insurance for travellers and nomads online. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Buying insurance does not change the decision on your visa, and we do not know whether a given consulate accepts a given policy: check before you pay.

How to read these figures

• Where you apply, not your passport. The Schengen figures count applications made in Iraq, including residents of other nationalities, and leave out nationals of Iraq 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

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