But beyond this administrative hurdle lies the financial toll especially for Africans. As of March 2025, a standard EU Schengen visa fee was pegged at €110, (from last year's €90) but additional costs such as travel insurance, biometric fees, transportation to embassies, and courier charges can bump up expenses to nearly double the official fee in a single attempt.

The active and inactive mental decision of these characters to leave, in my understanding, implies their continued refusal to accept the shoddy social, economical, cultural and political realities of their immediate environment and country. Their migration dream isn’t an apathetic decision.

Migration discourse is often clouded with the subjects of adults who make their own decisions on migration. Most times, unconsciously, children are left behind in migration conversations, especially in cases of forced migration.