Raphael Kanu
The United States Department of State has announced a sweeping policy shift requiring all non-immigrant visa applicants to attend interviews strictly at the US Embassy or Consulate in their country of nationality or residence.
The directive, published on September 6, 2025, on the State Department’s official visa portal, overrides previous arrangements that allowed applicants to seek interview slots in third countries.
In Nigeria, the change ends a long-standing practice where applicants, frustrated by lengthy wait times in Abuja and Lagos, turned to embassies in Ghana, Cameroon, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Canada, or even the Dominican Republic to secure faster appointments.
Under the new rules, applicants must prove residence in the country of application, and fees for scheduling interviews outside one’s residence or nationality will be forfeited if the application is refused. The State Department also warned that those applying outside their residence or nationality may face significantly longer appointment delays.
The policy, however, exempts diplomatic, NATO, and UN-related visas, and exceptions will still be granted for humanitarian or urgent medical cases.
Officials said the measure is aimed at streamlining adjudications, reducing global backlogs, and tightening security.
For Nigerians and other affected nationals, the move could make the already difficult process of securing US visas even more challenging, especially given the backlog of applications in Abuja and Lagos.