Everyday,
hundreds of Nigerians apply for Visas to foreign countries for
different reasons – better standard of living, employment opportunities
and the most commonly used “in search of greener pastures”. However, a
large number of these applicants are refused visas for different
reasons.
The Vice-Consul, United States Consulate, Lagos, Christopher Richardson,
has said that with regards to the United States of America, many
Nigerian applicants are refused visas because they have not visited
other countries.
Punch
reports that he said this yesterday at a seminar on the ‘American Visa
Regime: the role of lawyers’ organised by the Immigration Lawyers Forum
in Lagos.
“The majority of the visa applicants
prefer the US as their first outing. This creates doubt, especially
when the applicant has not visited any other countries before.”
Richardson said applicants were also
rejected visas because of the kind of answers they give to test
questions during interviews.
“When a question, such as ‘do you
have a relation in the US?’ Most often, they are quick to say ‘yes’,
which of course, is in order. Such an answer creates doubt that since
the person has a relation, there is every tendency that the person may
not want to come back. So visas can be rejected on that ground.”
He also said that Nigerians were among the countries with highest number of visa rejections.
His responses put Nigerians in a tight
position. To obtain a visa to America, one stands a better chance if he
or she has visited other countries. What if one has no intention of
visiting other countries and just wants to go to America for valid
reasons? And the part of having relations in the US is also interesting.
Nigerians, with our history of overstaying our visas have reversed what
was supposed to be an added advantage in the visa application process.
Now they think we probably won’t come back to our country because we
have relations in America. How sad.
What are your thoughts on the
Vice-Consul’s statements? Have you ever tried to obtain an American
visa? Were you granted the visa or not? Please share your experiences.
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