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The US Department of State has attributed recent challenges faced by Nigerians applying for US visas to a partial systems outage.
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The issue resulted in the US Embassy failing to interview scheduled visa applicants, prompting complaints and concerns.
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The State Department has assured that normalcy has been restored to consular operations and affected applicants will have their interviews rescheduled.
The United States Department of State has revealed that a partial systems outage was responsible for the recent challenges faced by Nigerians applying for US visas.
According to Press Officer, Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, U.S. Department of State, Jennifer Johnson, the outage has since been restored, and normalcy has been restored to consular operations.
Johnson stated, “The U.S. Department of State experienced a partial systems outage which has since been restored. All consular operations have resumed as normal. Visa applicants, whose interviews must be rescheduled due to the outage, will be notified.”
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It had received reports of glitches faced by Nigerian visa applicants, who lamented that the US Embassy failed to interview those scheduled for appointments as part of the visa application process.
The US mission in Nigeria had launched a transition to a new visa appointment system last year, aimed at making the process easier and more transparent for applicants.
However, Nigerians applying for visas had faced challenges during the implementation of the new system, with the US government assuring of improved visa processing after the transition period.
FG Targets 48-Hour Visa Processing Timeline for Foreigners
The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced plans to process visas for foreigners within 48 hours.
This was disclosed by the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, while declaring open a training session on E-visa for 162 immigration officers in Abuja.
