US Blue Paper Visa Denial: Nigerian Students Share Their Various Experiences At the Embassy

Why is the US embassy in Nigeria not issuing B1/B2 visa to Nigerians in recent times no matter how important or urgent their reasons for travel are? Are Nigerians currently blacklisted?

The US embassy and consulate in Nigeria deliberately refuse visas to almost everybody irrespective of your visa category or reason for travel. It doesn't translate to an official blacklisting though, but it's to show that you are not welcome there, at least for now. Let me make this practical.

A lady had scholarship to study in the US and was denied a visa. Before now, even students who were clearly going to get work in their schools were granted visas!

A lady wanted a visa to undergo surgery for a pregnancy complication. Can you believe that the interviewing officer referred her to a hospital in Nigeria despite the woman's condition and proof of finances? Who would trust a Nigerian hospital with his life? Beats me.

In this vein, we would be sharing the experiences of Visa seeking Nigerians.

Visa-seeking Nigerian students lament sad experiences at US embassy. It is believed that despite meeting the requirement to secure a valid visa, students and applicants have shared their experiences and their disappointment at the way and manner denials are given to Visa seeking Nigerians who are genuine.

Read their experiences below;

Twenty-six-year-old Benjamin had prepared himself and spent five days fasting and praying to secure a student visa at the United States’ embassy.ADVERTISING

His widowed mother had spent her savings to pay all the fees leading to the stage and her hopes were hinged on Benjamin scaling through the crucial interview.

Like other students seeking admission to schools in the US, Benjamin’s mother had, according to him, paid about $100 (N36,000) for application fee to the foreign school, $300 (N108,000) for evaluation fee, and $91 (N32,000) for the courier service to bring the admission documents to Nigeria. The United States had also been paid $200 with an additional $20 service charge (N80,300).

The family was happy when the documents arrived and Benjamin’s mother paid N57,600 for the visa application to the embassy. In all, about N350,000 had been expended, including other miscellaneous fees.

Benjamin went for the interview and after some minutes, he was handed a blue paper.

“Dear applicant, thank you for your interest in travelling to the United States. This is to inform you that you have been found ineligible for a non-immigrant visa under Section 214 (b) of the US Immigration and Nationality Act. A denial under Section 214 (b) means that you were not able to demonstrate that your intended activities in the United States would be consistent with the classification of the non-immigrant visa for which you applied.

“Today’s decision cannot be appealed. However, you may reapply at any time. If you decide to reapply, you must submit a new application form and photo, pay the visa application fee again and make a new appointment to be interviewed by a consular officer….,” the letter read in part.

Same blue print denial paper given to everyone who is denied.

The Ondo State indigene, who wondered what he did wrong, lamented that the rejection was a big blow to his family.

“The consular officer had no reason not to give me the visa. He asked different questions, which I answered sincerely. He just gave me back my passport and said I should try again later. I am supposed to resume school on January 7, 2019. My widowed mother paid the fees for my six-month flight course. We spent about N350,000,” he said.

According to Punch, his case is not peculiar as another Visa seeking applicant had recounted her experience. Twenty-eight year old Bimpe said she was so sure she was passing the visa interview after answering four questions.

“I was asked what I was going to do in the US and I said I was going for pilot training.

The officer asked if I worked in Nigeria and I said no. He asked who my sponsor was and I said my father.

“He asked me if I could fly and I told him that at the end of the training, I would know how to fly.  He asked for my father’ statement of account and after going through it for a few minutes, he returned it and said I should try again later,” Bimpe said.

Another student, Sasha, who claimed to have got admission to St. Joseph University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, said she had been denied a visa twice.

The 26-year-old claimed that the denial had affected her resumption in the school where she had already paid some money.

She said, “The first time I went to the embassy in Lagos was in July. The interviewer asked me a series of questions, including the name of my school and the course I was going to study. While explaining, he suddenly cut me short and said, ‘Sorry, you are not qualified for the visa.’ That was all; no specific reason was given. When I asked for the reason for the denial, he just said, ‘Sorry, I am not allowed to tell you; but you can try next time.’ Most of us who applied for visas that day were not given.

These students and applicants are calling on the National assembly members to look into the plight of their citizens to ascertain why the US embassy constantly deny genuine visa applications. They also appeal that refunds be made by the embassy for every refused applications.