The United States Consulate General in Lagos on Wednesday advised applicants seeking visa appointments with the embassy not to patronise “touts or middlemen.” Richard Walsh, the consular section chief of the U.S. embassy said this during a briefing on the renovation work being done on the consulate to create a more comfortable environment for visitors. “We have worked very hard especially in the last year with our partners to create a process that is more transparent and accessible to the public, but we continue to get reports from applicants that they are paying far more than they need to pay,” he said.

According to Mr. Walsh, investigations by the consulate reveal that applicants are constantly duped by “touts” who parade themselves as middlemen for the embassy. “We found out that these applicants who pay up to N50,000 more than they are expected to pay, make these payments to these touts and middlemen in order to secure an appointment,” he said. “That is not necessary. I have emphasised this on most occasions that I meet with the press that you don’t need to use a tout or a middleman in order to make your appointments.”

The visa application process

Vicki Hutchinson, the management officer of the consulate, urged visa applicants to be sure of the requirements before making payments.

“Applicants should visit the United States website to see the basic requirements necessary for an appointment before making payments,” Mrs. Hutchinson said.

Mr. Walsh said the process requires applicants to pay an appointment fee in any branch of UBA for a specific code.

“With the payment of that fee, there is a specific code or number given to that person, and that number is connected to a specific name or passport number. So to make the appointment, you need to have all that information; paying someone to do all that for you is your choice. But in my own opinion, I would say that you don’t have to pay someone as a middleman to do that, since everything is stated clearly on our website,” he said. “We have doubled our efforts to locate some of these touts and put a stop to their practices, but unless people are ready to work with us to get these touts, it won’t be that easy. So please anyone victimised by these touts should let us know, so as to enable us to trap them.”

Improved customer services

The consulate unveiled the renovated 100-seater capacity visa waiting room which, according to Mrs. Hutchinson, is meant to alleviate the plight of thousands of applicants who visit the consulate yearly.

She said, “We are doing our best to keep the applicants as comfortable as possible, before they go inside for their visas.”

SOURCE: 234NEXT