US Embassy introduces drop box for visa renewals

The House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs has proposed a review of the country's immigration laws as well as its bilateral agreements with the United Kingdom. This came on the heels of the decision by the UK government to impose a £3,000 Visa Bond on Nigerians travelling to that country. However, the United States Embassy in Abuja, has introduced drop boxes for visa renewals for applicants to reduce wait times and eliminate the need to appear in person for renewals. The visa bond is part of measures by the UK to tighten its immigration laws to discourage migrants from certain countries moving into the UK to live and work. The Chairman, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Hon. Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, described the policy as discriminatory given the fact that it was targeted at Nigeria and other non-white Commonwealth countries. The other commonwealth countries targeted are India, Kenya, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. Available data shows that the citizens of these countries applied for more than half a million visas to Britain in 2012 alone. Elendu-Ukeje observed that apart from being discriminatory, the policy was a political and economic tool which the UK wants to use to safeguard British jobs in the face of the economic recession in Europe. In an interview with journalists at the weekend, Elendu- Ukeje said Nigeria must be proactive in its response to the policy. Nigeria, she said, might have to review its immigration laws to also streamline the influx of foreigners into the country and ensure that it pursued economic policies that did not only create employment but safeguarded the jobs for Nigerians. She also charged the federal government to take a second look at its policy on Foreign Direct Investment (FDIs) to ensure that Nigeria was not shortchanged in the various deals. “Our position has been that it is discriminatory and targeted at non-white Commonwealth states. We also feel that with our long term relationship with Britain, we should not have been singled out for such treatment. Now, the UK has decided to go on with the policy. “Our last discussion with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on this matter was to ask the minister to come up with a proactive measures in the event that it was actually activated. This is a call to look critically at our Local Content Act and Indigenisation Act to ensure that they protect Nigerian jobs for Nigerians. “They have said by 2015, they want only 100,000 immigrants in their country and by last year, the British had 160,000 visa applications from Nigeria alone. “In fairness to them, it was touted to be political tool and intended to strengthen their immigration law primarily because Europe has faced economic down turn in the last 10 years. “For them it is a way to protect British jobs, but we should also learn some lessons from this policy. Aside the issue of reciprocity which is a part of international diplomacy, we must start to take a critical look at the agreements we sign with other countries and tighten our immigration laws, so that we can protect Nigerian jobs for Nigerians too,” she said. The British Home Office recently confirmed that it would demand a £3,000 ($4,630) refundable bond for visas for “high-risk” visitors from six former colonies in Africa and Asia as from November. In a statement, the Home Office said that it would go ahead with the pilot scheme despite the outrage, charges of discrimination and warnings of retaliation from Nigeria and other countries. Meanwhile, the US Embassy has also promised to introduce the innovative service at its Consulate in Lagos. The Head, Visa Section of the Embassy in Abuja, Ms. Carol Cox, while speaking at a recent briefing in Abuja, said applicants, however, have to ensure that they submit all the required documents in their application packages. She also clarified that the service could not be used for children as their fingerprints need to be taken with each application. "An officer would be posted to the front of the embassy, and will help check that the applicant has all the required documents and is qualified. He/She will not need to undergo the interview process but would simply pick up his/her visa at the designated center," Cox added. The embassy has been able to significantly reduce visa appointment wait times to less than six months. Before now, an applicant may sometimes have to wait as long as six months to get an appointment. Commenting in an appeal process after visa denial, Cox explained that the US visa application process is very different from that of the United Kingdom. An applicant, after being denied a visa can only reapply and would be asked to provide more information. She cautioned visa applicants against using touts or agents in their application process especially for student visas. Some potential students have been banned from entering the US for visa fraud after they had unknowingly presented fake packages that were given to them by these agents, Cox added.