Nigerian Visa Applicants In US Face Major Process Change

(VISA. Photo by BBC)

The Nigeria Immigration Service has announced the disengagement of Online Integrated Solutions, popularly known as OIS Services, as the operator of Nigeria's Visa Application and Submission Centres in the United States.

The service disclosed this in a public notice shared on its official social media account on Thursday, directing prospective travellers and Nigerians residing in the US who require a Nigerian visa to take note of the change.

The statement read: "The Nigeria Immigration Service hereby informs the general public, particularly prospective travellers and Nigerians residing in the United States of America who may require a visa to enter Nigeria, that Online Integrated Solution (OIS SERVICES), the operator of Nigeria's Visa Application and Submission Centres in the United States, has officially been disengaged from the collection and submission of visa applications on behalf of the Nigerian Mission, effective immediately."

According to the immigration service, all applicants seeking Nigerian visas are now required to submit their applications directly at the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, DC, or at the Consulates of Nigeria in New York and Atlanta, until further notice.

The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York separately confirmed the development on its website, notifying prospective applicants, including Nigerians in the diaspora, that OIS "has discontinued the collection and submission of visa applications on behalf of the Consulate."

OIS Services had previously operated as the outsourced visa application centre for Nigerian missions across several US cities, including Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Jersey, handling biometric capturing and document submission on behalf of applicants.

It remains unclear what prompted the disengagement, as neither the Nigeria Immigration Service nor the Nigerian missions in the US have provided further details on the reason behind the change.