US Mission To Prioritise Student Visa Applications For Nigerians

The United States Mission in Nigeria says it will prioritise
visa applications by Nigerians students who hope to resume academic
studies in the States by September 2021.

This was contained in a statement on Friday signed by Temitayo
Famutimi of the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate
General.

According to the statement titled, ‘US Announces Priority
Appointments for Student Visa Applicants’, the Mission said it
would prioritise visa interview appointments for Nigerian students
well in advance of their programme start date.

US Mission Country Consular Coordinator Susan Tuller reportedly
said the Mission would make every effort to assist student visa
applicants in a timely fashion while keeping personnel and
customers safe.

“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.

“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.

Tuller explained that all student visa appointments must be
booked through the US Travel Docs website. She warned applicants
against the use of third-party services, including touts, and
fixers who broker visa appointments.

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.

“Both Nigeria and the United States benefit when Nigerian
students study at one of our world-class educational institutions.
To prepare for your U.S. educational opportunity, we encourage you
to check out EducationUSA Advising Centers at our American Spaces
in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, and Calabar,” she added.

Nigeria sends more students to American colleges and
universities than any other country in Africa and is the eleventh
largest source worldwide of international students to the United
States. In academic year 2019-2020, a record-breaking number of
nearly 14,000 Nigerians pursued graduate and undergraduate degrees
in the United States.

The United States Mission in Nigeria says it will prioritise
visa applications by Nigerians students who hope to resume academic
studies in the States by September 2021.

This was contained in a statement on Friday signed by Temitayo
Famutimi of the Public Affairs Section of the US Consulate
General.

According to the statement titled, ‘US Announces Priority
Appointments for Student Visa Applicants’, the Mission said it
would prioritise visa interview appointments for Nigerian students
well in advance of their programme start date.

US Mission Country Consular Coordinator Susan Tuller reportedly
said the Mission would make every effort to assist student visa
applicants in a timely fashion while keeping personnel and
customers safe.

“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.

“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.

Tuller explained that all student visa appointments must be
booked through the US Travel Docs website. She warned applicants
against the use of third-party services, including touts, and
fixers who broker visa appointments.

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.

“Both Nigeria and the United States benefit when Nigerian
students study at one of our world-class educational institutions.
To prepare for your U.S. educational opportunity, we encourage you
to check out EducationUSA Advising Centers at our American Spaces
in Abuja, Lagos, Ibadan, and Calabar,” she added.

Nigeria sends more students to American colleges and
universities than any other country in Africa and is the eleventh
largest source worldwide of international students to the United
States. In academic year 2019-2020, a record-breaking number of
nearly 14,000 Nigerians pursued graduate and undergraduate degrees
in the United States.