I am conducting a comprehensive research study regarding the inconsistencies in Schengen visa processing times and refusal grounds across different consulates. It appears that standard regulations are being applied unevenly depending on the applicant’s location. I have prepared a survey to aggregate these experiences to better understand the systemic hurdles we are facing. If you have applied recently, would you be willing to share your timeline and outcome to help build this dataset?
Applied last year for a short-stay Schengen visa. Appointment took about 3 weeks to secure, and processing was around 10-15 working days. Outcome was approved, but only for the exact travel dates (not a long-term visa).
What felt inconsistent was that friends with very similar profiles (same country, same documents) had very different outcomes — some got multiple-entry visas, some got single-entry, and one was refused for “unclear purpose” despite having almost identical paperwork.
It really feels like there’s a lot of discretion at individual consulates, even though the rules on paper look the same.