The United States Embassy has announced a directive introducing new procedures for visa applications, set to begin in January 2025.
The revised procedures state that it will be mandatory for applicants to visit the Consulate General in Lagos at least twice as part of the visa process.
This directive was confirmed in a tweet shared on the embassy’s official X account: “For applicants with interviews scheduled after January 1, 2025, you are required to visit the Consulate General in Lagos at least twice during the immigrant visa process.
This new process is designed to help you prepare for your visa interview and to prevent significant delays in processing your immigrant visa.”
The embassy noted that the aim of this new development is to help applicants prepare for their visa interviews and prevent delays in processing immigrant visas.
According to the tweet, further details regarding the process are provided on the embassy’s website.
The statement explained that the first visit will involve an in-person document review with a consular staff member.
This step is intended to ensure that applicants possess all the required documents before their visa interviews.
“The review allows applicants to retrieve any missing documents ahead of their visa interviews, helping to avoid delays in application processing,” the embassy explained.
The second visit will be the visa interview with a consular officer, scheduled by the National Visa Center (NVC).
The directive emphasized the importance of completing the document review before the interview, noting the consequences of failing to do so.
“If you do not complete the in-person document review before your visa interview, you will be required to reschedule your appointment,” the directive stated.
Earlier this year, the embassy announced a transition to a new visa services provider for its Abuja and Lagos consulates.