January 28, (THEWILL) – The United States Mission in Nigeria has extended visa fee validity to September 2023, to accommodate applicants facing difficulty in booking appointments for non-immigrant visas.
The Mission announced this on Thursday on its website following complaints by Nigerians on unavailability of dates for interview.
THEWILL learnt that thousands of applicants are facing difficulty in securing appointment dates following the suspension of routine consular operations due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The earliest appointment date that many of the applicants have received is nine months from the date of booking.
Visa fee is only valid for one year from the date of payment. But the mission said on its website that it has extended validity to September 2023 to enable all applicants to get an appointment date.
It indicated that it was working diligently to restore routine consular services that were suspended in the last two years.
The statement reads: “The United States Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria understand that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment.
“We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible.
“In the meantime, rest assured that the US Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as MRV fee) until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.”
