How U.S. swindles Nigerians in visa application fees

• Makes N19 b in one year, excess gain hits N4 . 5 billion
• Official says consulate uses market -based exchange rate
Though the Federal Government pegged the exchange rate at N305. 25 to a dollar , the American Consulate in Nigeria exchanged N400 to a dollar in visa application fees for one fiscal year , until yesterday.
This was deduced from the visa fees and exchange rate published on the website of the American Consulate :http :/ /www .ustraveldocs. com /ng /ng -niv- visafeeinfo. asp.
Consequently , at the exchange rate of N400 to a dollar , a Nigerian applying for the non -immigrant U.S . visa at $ 160 fee was made to pay N64, 000 instead of N48, 840. The N400-to- a dollar exchange rate allowed the U. S. Consulate to cream off excess gain of N15, 200 per applicant. Even at the black market rate of N370 to a dollar , which was sustained for months, the consulate made an excess gain of N8 , 400 on each visa granted Nigerians.
According to the U. S . Department of State, more than 163, 000 immigrant and non- immigrant visas were issued to Nigerians between March 2017 and January 2018 .
The number of applicants denied visa in 2017 were over 130, 000, representing 44 per cent of the visas granted in the fiscal year .
Therefore , at the exchange rate of N400 to a dollar , the consulate made nearly N19 billion in 11 months instead of N14 .5 billion it would have made at N305. 25 to a dollar . The difference of N4 .5 billion represents 23 per cent excess gain .
Considering that other visa types such as H, L, O, P , Q, R , K and E attract higher fees, ranging between $190 and $ 265, the embassy’ s gross earnings increased by a significant amount.
For instance, a religious worker travelling to the U.S . had paid N76 , 000 for P -type visa instead of N58 , 000; the same for athletes , artists and entertainers.
Adam Alqali , a reporter with an online newspaper , African News Page, said he felt cheated when he realised he paid $ 160 at N400 to a dollar rate , more so , when he was eventually denied a visa.
Alqali was offered a fellowship to attend Federation of Science Conference in San Francisco in October 2017 , all expenses paid by his sponsor.
“ Despite the fact that all my papers were valid , I was still denied a visa . That was how I missed an opportunity to attend the fellowship,” he said.
A visa applicant, Kayode Bello, described the exchange rate as “ extortion.”
Bello, who was denied U.S . visa early March 2018 , said the ideal for which America is known globally did not support taking advantage of people who want to travel to the United States .
“ Not all of us are running away from Nigeria as the U.S . consular officers always like to assume , ” he said.
Bello said he had written to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking the authorities to wade into the matter but there was no response .
In a mail sent to The Guardian , Darcy Fyock Zotter , the Public Affairs Officer U.S . Consulate , Lagos justified the exchange rate of N400 to a dollar .
“ We note that there are multiple exchange rates listed for Nigeria . The U.S . Mission Nigeria uses a market -based exchange rate for the payment of U. S . visa fees. ”
But Zotter did not explain how the Consulate arrived at N400 to a dollar rate .
Notwithstanding , more Nigerians are being refused the chance to visit America in the last three years.
The statistics published by the U. S . Department of State show that the refusal rate for B - visa has increased from 32 per cent in 2015 to 44 per cent in 2017 , despite the rip -off .
One of the applicants denied B - visa recently, Paul Oletu, said he had been twice denied the permit in 2015 and 2018 .
“ At the last time , I did not spend more than two minutes with the consular officer before I was dismissed. I could not believe it happened so fast . I don’ t know what the visa officer saw that made him to make such a quick decision . It was a group visa, and only two applicants in the group were granted out of 50 of us. ”
Oletu said the news of his denial sent him into depression. “ I could not go to work for three days after they denied me. I paid a total of N190, 000, including consultancy fees, all for nothing, ” he said .
The Guardian’ s effort to get reaction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was rebuffed.
Meanwhile, the exchange rate was lowered yesterday to N360 to a dollar .
In a mail sent to The Guardian yesterday, Information Officer at the Public Affairs Section of the U. S. embassy in Nigeria , Russell K. Brooks, confirmed the change .
He reiterated that naira -to- dollar rate changes periodically subject to market- based exchange rate established by commercial banks in concert with the Central Bank of Nigeria .
Brooks also gave a hint that visa fees might increase soon .
“ U.S . policy requires reciprocity with regard to visa fees . Discussions have been underway to ensure that the fees paid by U. S . citizens match those paid by Nigerians ,” he said .