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20 eye-opening facts why USA visa is difficult to get in Nigeria

Have you ever wondered why it is gruellingly difficult to get the United States of America (USA) visa here in Nigeria? Have you tried earlier and was turned down? Then this article is for you. Come along with me as we ascertain the facts behind this lingering difficulty in getting US Visa in Nigeria.

In this article, we are going to touch twenty (20) facts that pose difficulty in securing US visa in Nigeria, and they are:

nigerians-refuse-usa-visa

  1. US Immigration Authorities Are Security Conscious: Security is the first thing the US authorities look out for. They go the extra mile to ensure that anything that will pose a security challenge to their country is not allowed entry. They also deny entry to anything that might suggest violating their visa terms.
  1. Inordinate Desire to overstay: Some visas like tourist visa allow one to stay for a maximum of one year by extension for pleasure or medical treatment purposes but some Nigerians find it difficult to come back at the expiration of this visa. As a result of this, the visa is denied once the US immigration authorities discover anything that will suggest that the person would overstay.
  1. The inability of people To show their non-immigrant Intent: Because it is easier to get a tourist visa, people tend to indirectly use it to obtain a visa and once they get there, they start working or stay longer. As a result of this, every applicant is expected to show proof of non-immigrant and inability to show that will automatically mean visa denial.
  1. Not being straightforward during an interview: Some people miss the whole thing during the interview. Imagine a situation where you applied for a tourist visa and during the interview, you answered that you might probably pick up a part-time job to cover some expenses. This will automatically earn the person a polite refusal.
  1. High rate of fraud: Nigeria had been known as one of the highest countries where fraud activities are at its peak. Activities like 419, Yahoo plus, money doubling scheme,  thrive so much in Nigeria so anyone that is applying for a visa from Nigeria will find it more difficult to obtain it than those applying from other countries.
  1. Dirty/past criminal records: Some Nigerians partook in criminal acts in the past and it can stand as a great threat to their being able to obtain a visa.
  1. Violation of immigration rules: United State is one country that keeps to rules and regulations and any violation is squarely punished, Nigeria seems to be the opposite of this. Some have obtained a visa in the past and overstayed or did something that dented their image. This means automatic denial of visa once the person applies for a visa. Some are banned for three (3) years while some ten (10) depending on the level of offence.
  1. Some Nigerians are in U.S. inadmissibility list (travel Blacklist): This is the list of those that cannot gain entrance into the US. If a Nigerian happens to be on this list, the fact remains that the person would find it extremely difficult to obtain a visa from Nigeria. This list includes those that have been deported from the US before, those that had participated in the drug business and those that are suffering one communicable sickness or the other. Anyone in Nigeria that finds himself or herself in any of the categories should rule out the possibility of getting a visa from Nigeria.
  1. Use of forged document: There is no need of stressing it again that Nigerians seem to be experts in forging documents. Some innocent ones had fallen victims owing to the fact that they approached the wrong people for their papers and they ended up having fake. This is one of the things that could make getting visa very difficult from Nigeria. Some do not like the attitude of following the right procedures and in the process of trying to “cut corners”, they ended up in the wrong hands thereby having their visas denied.
  1. The Deadline approach: This is another thing that makes it difficult to get a visa from Nigeria. Some Nigerians do not apply for their visa on time until it is very close to the time they need to travel, that is when they start running around and if peradventure there is a delay or something negative comes up, it ends up putting the person in a very tight corner.
  1. Dressing wrongly to the visa interview: Visa interview is a formal occasion and so the applicant needs to dress formally or professionally. There is a common statement that states “You are addressed the way you dress”; this applies to a large extent in the visa interview. The interviewer can look at your dressing and conclude that this person’s motive might not be genuine and so no need of granting him the visa. There are some that are genuine but there dressing speaks negativity about them and that makes it difficult for them to secure US visa.
  1. Inferiority complex: This is another factor that affects some people applying for a visa from Nigeria. There are some interview questions that cannot be well explained in English by the applicant, instead of asking for an interpreter to answer the question, they keep mute thereby failing the questions. It is not a crime to ask for an interpreter during visa interview and it is only inferiority complex that would make one keep quiet instead of opening up to request for help.
  1. Dishonesty: Once the visa officer is able to detect any form of dishonesty from answers being offered by the applicant, it is going to be difficult to grant a visa to the applicant. There is no need for using overstatements to please the visa officer thereby landing yourself in dishonest answers.
  1. Wrong information about the destination: Some tell lies about where they are going to not knowing that the US is well-equipped to find out if there is exactly any of such and once they discover the information is not true, it will be difficult for the applicant to get the visa.
  1. Lack Of adequate means of Livelihood: Some do not have a good means of livelihood and once the visa officer observes this, the next thought that comes to mind is that the applicant is going there for crime or fleeing Nigeria and they would make it difficult for the person to get the visa.
  1. Inability to study the interviewer: Some people are not observant enough to know if the interviewer is in a hurry or relaxed and this can go a long way in determining the outcome of the whole process. If the interviewer is in a hurry and you are giving a long speech, it is obvious you will not do well in the interview because he or she doesn’t have all the time to listen to the long speech. But if he or she is relaxed, you can give details.
  1. Lack of adequate financial support that can sustain the applicant: If the applicant does not have the adequate financial support that can sustain him for the rest of his stay in the US, definitely, it would be difficult to grant him a visa.
  1. Lack of composure: When the applicant does not comport himself or herself very well, definitely, there would be a problem. Some look nervous and fidget during an interview; it is not a good thing.
  1. Lack of adherence to visa rules: If there is any country in the world that keeps to rules and regulations, it is the US. Nigerians at the other hand seem to be opposite of this. For instance, a situation where someone is applying for a visa of 60 days but the itinerary submitted is showing 120 days. This can make the visa official request for an additional document or even deny the person visa.
  1. Providing irrelevant information: During the interview, some go to the extent of supplying information that not needed and this will contribute to making the visa acquisition more difficult. For instance, some that mentions he knows friends and relations in the country might be asked to provide evidence to prove he knows them. He might be asked to supply their ID cards and bank statements which would be difficult for the applicant to get.

These are the 20 reasons why Nigerians are denied or refused USA visa and when we note and avoid them, it will go a long way in making it easier to get their visa.

Chinonye Ikebaku

This article was written by Chinonye Ikebuaku.