Schengen Visa process for Syrian passport + UAE resident

Hi everyone,

I’m a Syrian passport holder, but I was born and raised in the UAE and have lived here my whole life.

My friend is getting married in Spain in 4 weeks, and I am very nervous that I am not goi g to be able to make it because of my Syrian passport.

I’ve applied for a Schengen visa 3 times before and unfortunately got rejected every single time.

The last application I did was for Malta back in January, and the rejection reason was their concern about me not returning to the UAE after the trip, especially because I have some family members living in Europe.

I wanted to ask if anyone here — especially Syrians or people with “weaker” passports/UAE residency — managed to get approved after previous rejections and what exactly helped your case. What is the main reason that they will grant a visa?

I have some questions which I would really appreciate some help with any of the questions:

01 - Is Spain harder than other countries?

02 - What did you include in your cover letter that helped convince them you would return?

03 - What kind of ties to the UAE did you show besides employment/residency?

04 - Would showing savings help a lot? If yes, roughly how much did you show?

05 - Did anyone use a travel agency or visa consultant that actually helped?

06 - Would booking refundable flights/hotels before approval help or hurt?

07 - Do they care a lot if you have relatives in Europe even if you have a stable life/job in the UAE?

08 - Would it help if I explain clearly in the cover letter that I was born and raised in the UAE and my whole life is here?

Also, realistically speaking, is there anything that actually helps speed up approvals or improve the chances after multiple rejections?

I’d really appreciate honest advice or hearing from people with similar situations because the process is honestly very discouraging at this point. Thank you 🙏