The United States Mission in Nigeria has announced an extension to the validity of the visa application fees made by Nigerians to September 2023.
A statement by the US Embassy in Nigeria said the action is aimed at accommodating applicants who have been facing difficulty in booking appointments for the non-immigrant visa category.
The US said that with thousands of Nigerian visa applicants, securing appointment dates have become a herculean task as some of the earliest appointment dates is nine months from the date of booking.
However, contrary to the one-year validity of the visa fee - from the date of payment, the US said it has extended the validity to enable applicants to get an appointment date.
It also said that the US Embassy is working with the consulate in Nigeria to restore the routine consular services that were suspended in the last two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The US government said: “The United States Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria understand that many visa applicants have paid the visa application processing fee and are still waiting to schedule a visa appointment.
“We are working diligently to restore all routine visa operations as quickly and safely as possible." "In the meantime, rest assured that the US Mission will extend the validity of your payment (known as MRV fee) until September 30, 2023, to allow all applicants who were unable to schedule a visa appointment as a result of the suspension of routine consular operations an opportunity to schedule and/attend a visa appointment with the already paid fee.”