The United States Embassy in Nigeria has announced the introduction of a new visa services provider for its Abuja and Lagos consulates, effective August 26, 2024.
The announcement, made via the embassy’s website and official X (formerly Twitter) account on Wednesday, July 31, 2024 comes in response to mounting complaints from Nigerian applicants about late appointment dates and racketeering at the consulate general office in Lagos.
In its statement, the embassy clarified the transition process for applicants. “The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos are moving to a new visa services provider on August 26, 2024,” it said.
The embassy further explained that applicants who have already booked appointment dates will lose access to the U.S. travel website from August 16, 2024. “This means you will not be able to cancel or reschedule your appointment from August 16, 2024, and will have no access to customer service,” the announcement read. It urged applicants to print their appointment confirmation letters before August 16 and to attend their visa interviews if possible. “If you fail to appear for your scheduled interview, please check here on or after August 26, 2024, for instructions on rescheduling your appointment,” the embassy added.
The new visa appointment website, set to go live by August 26, aims to streamline the visa services process. This change follows weeks of frustration expressed by Nigerian applicants over difficulties in securing appointment dates despite paying visa fees.
The U.S. Embassy’s decision to switch service providers is a direct response to these challenges, aiming to provide a more efficient and transparent process for visa applicants in Nigeria.
