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[The CIVIS Newsroom ](https://civis.eu/de/the-civis-newsroom) 2. Strengthening Africa-Europe academic mobility: visa policy for science partnerships Strengthening Africa-Europe academic mobility: visa policy for science partnerships ===================================================================================== Opinion 9\. September 2026 Despite the significant expanded cooperation in higher education, research, and innovation between Europe and Africa, visa procedures remain a major impediment for African people seeking to travel to Europe. In this regard, CIVIS welcomes recent efforts by the European Commission to modernize visa policy and calls for complementing both policy initiatives. Initiatives such as Erasmus+, Horizon Europe, the AU–EU Innovation Agenda, and the Global Gateway strategy reflect the growing importance of Africa-Europe academic exchange for addressing global challenges, advancing science diplomacy, fostering talent development, and deepening strategic relations between both continents. Despite these ambitions, evidence from existing research and CIVIS Alliance surveys shows that applicants frequently face obstacles such as long waiting times, difficulties obtaining appointments, high costs, long-travel distances to embassies and consulates, or extensive documentation requirements. These barriers cause major uncertainty and unfair deterrence often leading to delayed or cancelled exchanges, thus undermining the effectiveness of European investments in academic cooperation. For us at CIVIS, a European university alliance with African members, these obstacles present a constant challenge to our multilateral, intercontinental cooperation. Key policy recommendations -------------------------- ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/visa-policy-paper1-3.jpg)©CIVIS Communication UnitCIVIS welcomes recent efforts by the European Commission to modernize visa policy, but the underlying visa policy framework must be widened to recognise the specific needs and objectives of international academic collaboration, particularly with Africa. CIVIS therefore calls for complementing both *‘EU Visa Strategy*’ and *‘Recommendation on attracting talent’* policy initiatives in three ways: 1. Systematically include academic mobility as a priority category in facilitating measures, enabling easier visa access for scientific travel purposes, including longer-validity and multiple-entry visas where appropriate. 2. Extend simplified visa procedures for long-term stays to short-term academic mobility, such as conferences, workshops, research visits, and training activities. 3. Give strategic priority to Africa in visa facilitation efforts, including increased consular capacity, faster processing, and targeted measures that reflect Africa’s importance as a partner in education, research, and innovation. Improving visa access for African academics and students is not merely an administrative reform. It is a strategic investment in stronger research partnerships, talent exchange, and Europe’s long-term scientific and geopolitical objectives. In our own scientific exchange and events with participants from African member institutions, we regularly encounter failed visa applications resulting in missed collaboration opportunities at best and wasted expenditures at worst. In conversations with African scientists and university representatives, the ‘visa problem’ is usually mentioned as one of the most urgent in Africa-Europe science collaboration. CIVIS internal surveys revealed that: - visa issues are a structural phenomenon in academic mobility from Africa to Europe, going beyond single cases or individual challenges. - concrete visa challenges largely revolve around known issues, but also less prominent problems come to the fore. - visa issues often result in higher costs, higher efforts, delayed or cancelled stays. - visa applications for Europe are mostly perceived as more challenging than those for other destinations. Our policy positions and recommendations ---------------------------------------- ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/visa-policy-paper1-2.jpg)©CIVIS Communication UnitWe acknowledge the complexities and challenges of visa policy both in terms of its multi-level political coordination for the Schengen area as well as the need to strategically bridge openness and protection. But easing visa applications for stays of African citizens with a clear scientific purpose must not hamper diligence in visa procedures, the safety of cross-border movements, or the objectives of migration policy. Rather, meaningful measures could be implemented without additional risks and with relatively little effort compared to their potentially significant practical benefits and high symbolic value. Improving visa access for African academics and students is not merely an administrative reform. It is a strategic investment in stronger research partnerships, talent exchange, and Europe’s long-term scientific and geopolitical objectives. We call on governments in Europe, particularly those of EU member states, as well as EU institutions to tackle the ‘issue of visa issuance’ in Africa-Europe academic collaboration. ### READ THE FULL POSITION PAPER [download](https://civis.eu/storage/files/civis-strengthening-africa-europe-academic-mobility-position-paper.pdf) Related news ------------ - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/civis-coms-unit-casablanca-4-800x600.jpg?token=852ccbd6465c7ebee1f78f93221e7910)Gemeinsame Herausforderungen angehen und Lösungen für Afrika und Europa in Zusammenarbeit entwickeln African Partner Universities 31. März 2026 ](https://civis.eu/de/the-civis-newsroom/facing-common-challenges-shaping-joint-solutions-for-africa-and-europe) - [ ![](https://civis.eu/storage/files/casa-800x600.jpg?token=17d19f63b525167bf3cf2a53535ac3f4)Das erste CIVIS-Forum für Forschung und Bildung in Afrika und Europa wird heute in Casablanca fortgesetzt Research 16. 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