SIR: I write to express my disgust over the American visa appointment ‘terrorism’ being visited on Nigerians in recent times.
I have been to America not less than three times and I cannot but say God bless America. However, the current situation where an intending traveller from Nigeria has to go through the eye of the needle is disconcerting and needless. It is much more so, given that the process does not even give consideration to those who have travel and returned several times before now. To travel to America now requires a minimum of two years plan meaning that you must book a visa appointment nearly two years ahead. Unfortunately, one is not likely to get a visa valid for more than two years.
As confessed by the Deputy Consular General, she indicated that racketeers have hijacked the process such that innocent travellers are unable to get a visa appointment date which now gets hoarded by the syndicates who now sell the dates to genuine intending travellers as nobody can easily have a date by simply paying the fees and picking a visa date which had always been possible within a month of starting the process. For an American embassy process to have been so hijacked speaks a volume. How can America admit its failure to tackle such an attack on its system without any eye blinking? Why should America give Nigerians the impression that that there are people within its system collaborating with the scammers?
Again, is America admitting that it cannot resolve the ongoing scam in Nigeria in a world where technology has been a useful key to resolve almost every administrative issue that may seem insurmountable in the first instance? Can the embassy not link each reserved interview date with the applicant? Why should America promote a situation where a date reserved by someone unknown is used by another individual?
In Nigeria of today, you either have a National Identity Number (NIN) or Bank Verification Number (BVN) all of which can be linked with any visa applicant. Biometric verification can be so easily deployed in every parameter to address the ongoing scam but America is closing its eyes allowing genuine travellers to be denied while potential illegal immigrants are paying tooth and nail to beat the system!
Is the US embassy suggesting that it cannot devise a new method to beat the fraudsters? Is it not possible to allocate interview dates on first come first served basis following a review of each application? Again is it not possible to separate fresh visa applicants from those who have been barrelling to America before in allocation of interview dates?
The situation currently cannot be described less than a terror attack to our psyche and Nigerians do not deserve this treatment. America must put a stop to this and save its face. God Bless America.
- Abiodun FOLUSO
Arepo, Ogun State.