The Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Mr. David Greene, revealed on Sunday that the embassy has conducted interviews for over 150,000 Nigerians seeking U.S. visas, in addition to processing 30,000 student visa applications.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Greene acknowledged the existing challenges in meeting the high demand for visa appointments, emphasizing the commitment of the embassy to addressing visa-related bottlenecks.
Greene stated, “When it comes to visas specifically, well, of course, it is a simple fact, the demand for visa appointments outnumbers the supply. So, those appointments are available and we are doing everything we can to address that gap. What folks do not know is that this year we have interviewed more than 150,000 Nigerians.”
Highlighting the embassy’s efforts to streamline the visa process, he added, “This is in addition to 30,000 students. Hundreds of thousands of students have had the opportunity to seek visas from the U.S. We are doing the best we can to get proper ways for all the categories and after having an enormous backlog as a result of COVID-19, and all that. We have made great progress though. In March we instituted a five-year term for visas to the U.S.”
Greene encouraged individuals planning to travel to the U.S. to apply early and ensure that their visa requests are tied to specific events. He acknowledged the backlog created by the pandemic but assured that efforts are being made to expedite the visa application process.
“Folks that are seeking visas should apply early, make sure that the plan is for an event as they can. This is because we do acknowledge that there is a backlog and we will do what we can to make sure people who need a warrant visa to the U.S. can get them,” he emphasized.
