The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has announced that Nigerians and other applicants in the United States seeking Nigerian visas must now submit their applications directly to Nigerian diplomatic missions following the disengagement of Online Integrated Solutions (OIS Services).
The move takes immediate effect and ends OIS Services’ role in collecting and submitting visa applications on behalf of Nigerian missions in the United States.
In a public notice signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, on Thursday, the NIS directed all applicants to submit their visa requests directly to the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, D.C., or the Nigerian Consulates in New York and Atlanta until further notice.
According to the statement, “The Nigeria Immigration Service hereby informs the general public, particularly prospective travellers and Nigerians residing in the United States of America who may require a visa to enter Nigeria, that Online Integrated Solution (OIS SERVICES), the operator of Nigeria’s Visa Application and Submission Centres in the United States, has officially been disengaged from the collection and submission of visa applications on behalf of the Nigerian Mission, effective immediately.”
The Service assured applicants that the embassy and consulates have put adequate measures in place to ensure the smooth submission, processing and issuance of visas despite the transition.
Applicants were also advised to monitor the official communication channels of the Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigerian missions in the United States for updates on visa application procedures.
The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York separately confirmed the development on its website, notifying prospective applicants, including Nigerians in the diaspora, that OIS Services no longer handles visa application submissions on its behalf.
Before its disengagement, OIS Services managed Nigeria’s outsourced visa application process across several US cities, including Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Jersey, where it handled biometric enrolment and document submissions.
Neither the Nigeria Immigration Service nor Nigerian diplomatic missions in the United States disclosed the reason for terminating the arrangement with OIS Services.
