the US visa application processes were simple and not as stringent as
people thought, stressing that the mission was working to improve and
make its visa processes better for Nigerians by decentralising it.
Laidlaw explained that to qualify for a visit to the US, an applicant
must show that he has social and economic ties sufficient to meet the
American immigration terms, adding that those who failed to meet this
requirement are often turned down.
The Consul-General, who said this during a tour of the US Consular
Section by select journalists in Abuja on Thursday, added that those
who had social and economic ties usually had easier time and more
chance to obtain US visa than somebody who is just starting out.
He said, "To really qualify for a visit to the US, you have to show
you have social and economic ties sufficient to meet the immigration
terms we have in our laws.
"To have those social and economic ties usually means somebody who has
developed a career, developed a household and has done something to
develop himself within Nigeria."
Laidlaw said people who were refused visa could re-apply if they felt
that the situations had changed, as according to him, statistics
showed that many who re-applied were issued visas.
"If you can establish your social and economic ties and we understand
who you are in Nigerian context, that allows us to make an evaluation
judgment; It's very hard for very young people, I'm sorry, but that's
the way the law is written," he said.
He, however, said young business people or students who did not
receive a visa should not be discouraged as they could be successful
the next time they applied.
According to him, no fewer than 7,000 Nigerians are studying in his
country, noting that 66 per cent of tourist visa applications were
approved in 2014.
The Consul-General said the missions in Abuja and Lagos processed
about 400 to 900 visa applications daily, excluding the drop-box
applications which are meant for visa renewal.
He said, "Between 2009 and 2014, visa applications rose by 345 per
cent in our missions based in Abuja and Lagos. Nigeria is an expanding
country and the Nigerian middle class is becoming more and more
prominent and growing and all those things reflected in the growth
rate we see in visa applications."
—PUNCH
No comments:
Post a Comment