The United States mission in Nigeria has announced that it
will prioritise applications for student visas and plan interview appointments
“well in advance” of school resumption.
Susan Tuller, US mission country consular coordinator, also
said on Friday that the mission “will make every effort to assist student visa
applicants in a timely fashion while keeping personnel and customers safe.”
The lockdown introduced to slow the spread of the
coronavirus had hindered operations at the US embassy in Abuja and the
consulate general in Lagos.
However, with the next round of school resumption in September, Tuller said efforts are in place to ensure that Nigerians travelling for studies are not stranded regarding their application for visa.
A statement from the mission explained why this is priority
for the US: Nigeria sends more students to American colleges and universities
than any other country in Africa and is the eleventh largest worldwide
source of international students to the country.
Tuller was quoted her as saying: “As we continue to
prioritize the health and safety of our staff and customers, processing student
visas remains a high priority for the U.S. 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 U.S. studies are scheduled to begin this Fall, we encourage
you to schedule your appointment as quickly as possible.”
The consular coordinator explained that all student visa
appointments must be booked through the specified US travel website.
She also warned applicants against the use of third-party
services, including touts, and fixers who broker visa appointments.
“Both Nigeria and the United States benefit when Nigerian
students study at one of our world-class educational institutions,” she added.
“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, or at educationUSA.state.gov.”
In the 2019-2020 academic year, a record-breaking number of
nearly 14,000 Nigerians were said to have pursued graduate and undergraduate
degrees in the US.
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