US pledges to prioritise visa applications from Nigerian students

The United States Mission in Nigeria has revealed its mandate to ensure priority towards “visa interview appointments for Nigerian students well in advance of their programme start date.”

The US Mission further disclosed that applications of students who hope to resume academic studies in the States by September 2021 are high on the priority list.

Temitayo Famutimi, an official of the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate General, made this disclosure via a signed statement on Friday.

The statement was titled, ‘US Announces Priority Appointments for Student Visa Applicants’.

According to the statement, the US Mission Country Consular Coordinator Susan Tuller pledged that the Mission would make every effort to assist student visa applicants.

“As we continue to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and customers, processing student visas remains a high priority for the US Mission in Nigeria.

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“We will increase the number of student visa appointments in May and June to ensure that we can offer appointments to as many students as possible. If your US studies are scheduled to begin this Fall, we encourage you to schedule your appointment as quickly as possible,” Tuller was quoted as saying in the statement.

However, she cautioned potential applicants against patronising third-party services who broker visa appointments.

All student visa appointments must be booked through the US Travel Docs website, Tuller clarified.

According to her, agents or third parties often seek to benefit by charging a fee for their services and they may not always provide the correct information, which can harm an applicant’s chances of qualifying for the visa.

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