The United States Department of State has ascribed recent difficulties Nigerians have in applying for US visas to a partial system outage.
Jennifer Johnson, Press Officer for the Office of Public and Congressional Affairs, Bureau of Consular Affairs, United States Department of State, disclosed in a statement.
The statement follows plenty reports of difficulties encountered by Nigerian visa applicants, including complaints that the United States Embassy failed to interview those scheduled for appointments as part of the visa application process.
In response to the circumstances, the State Department spokeswoman acknowledged the challenges on Saturday but stressed that consular operations had resumed normally.
Johnson also assured that those affected visa applicants will have their interviews rescheduled.
Johnson stated, “The United States Department of State experienced a partial systems outage, which has since been restored. All consular operations have resumed as normal.
“Visa applicants, whose interviews must be rescheduled due to the outage, will be notified.”
It should be noted that the United States mission in Nigeria began using a new visa appointment method last year.
According to the United States Mission in Nigeria, the purpose was to make the process of getting visa appointments at its embassy in Abuja and consulate in Lagos more convenient and transparent for US visa applicants in Nigeria.
During the introduction of the new system, Nigerians requesting visas had difficulties, with the US administration promising improved visa processing after the transition period.
