The United States authorities have announced ‘priority visa appointments’ for students who will resume studies during the Fall from Nigeria.
In a statement on Friday, Susan Tuller, U.S Mission Country Consular Coordinator, said the two visa processing centres in Nigeria – the U.S Embassy in Abuja and the Consulate General office in Lagos – will assist student visa applicants in a timely fashion while keeping personnel and customers safe.
She warned applicants against the use of third-party services, including touts, and fixers who broker visa appointments.
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‘As we continue to prioritize the health and safety of our staff and customers, processing student visas remains a high priority for the U.S. Mission in Nigeria,’ Tuller said.
‘We will increase the number of student visa appointments in May and June to ensure that we can offer appointments to as many students as possible. If your U.S. studies are scheduled to begin this Fall, we encourage you to schedule your appointment as quickly as possible.’
Tuller explained that all student visa appointments must be booked through the U.S. Travel Docs website at www.ustraveldocs.com/ng/.
She said Nigeria sends more students to American colleges and universities than any other country in Africa and is the eleventh largest source worldwide of international students to the United States.
‘In the academic year 2019-2020, a record-breaking number of nearly 14,000 Nigerians pursued graduate and undergraduate degrees in the United States.
‘Both Nigeria and the United States benefit when Nigerian students study at one of our world-class educational institutions.’ the statement concluded.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK