US Blames Agents for High Visa Fees in Nigeria, Says They Operate With Impunity
- The US embassy in Nigeria has warned Nigerians to stop patronising visa agents in Nigeria before obtaining visa from the Embassy
- The Embassy said the facilitators and agents operate with reckless impunity and are the reasons Nigerians take longer time before obtaining visa
- She said the best thing to do is for applicants to apply for the visa themselves for speedy processing
The Embassy of the United States in Nigeria has blamed visa facilitators, especially in Lagos for the high cost of visa fees in the country.
The Embassy said the facilitators operate with impunity for financial gains. It warned Nigerians that they will continue to pay high fees if they continue to patronise the agents before getting appointments at the embassy.
Source: Instagram
How the agents operate
Susan Tuller, US Country Consular Coordinator in Nigeria disclosed this during a press briefing with reporters on the no-interview US visa renewal services which was launched in Nigeria.
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Tuller cautioned Nigerians to beware of fake websites, saying all information can be obtained from its official website.
She disclosed that the visa appointments system is exploited by agents, especially in Lagos.
What Tuller is saying about visa processing
She added that the facilitators and agents are in Lagos and operate with impunity and for financial gain. According to her, as long as Nigerians continue to patronise them, they will continue to pay high visa fees.
The Consular Coordinator said they see a lot of people who give facilitators money to book appointments for them.
She urged that one criterion to participate in the programme is to do the process themselves, saying that all information is available on official immigration travel websites.
Nigerians form long queue at Lagos UK Visa Office
Legit.ng reported that two days after Legit.ng published a story that the United Kingdom has resumed Priority Visa issuance to Nigerians, the UK visa office is overflowing with Nigerians seeking to obtain visas.
Nigerians began to throng the UK visa office after it was announced that Nigeria has been removed from the UK red list following the drop in the spread of Omicron variant of COVID-19.
A crowd of applicants was seen milling outside the visa office in Lekki Phase I offices of TLSContact. Long queues were seen as people waited to be called in for the application.
Source: Legit.ng
