How Visa Facilitators Scramble, Mop Up Visa Appointments Online To Swindle Nigerians

An investigation has revealed that illegal visa facilitators who provide Nigerians with US visa interview appointment dates for exorbitant fees spend days scouring the internet for available dates, booking them, and selling them to applicants seeking visa interview appointments with the US embassy.

Although illegal, the business has become a source of income for many people, particularly young Nigerians who set up shop near embassies in Lagos to woo visa applicants who come to them out of ignorance or desperation.

Many of the facilitators told us that all they do is stay online 24 hours a day, grabbing visa application dates provided by the US Consulate.

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Susan Tuller, the US Country Consular Coordinator in Lagos, recently accused these facilitators and travel agents of illegally manipulating visa appointments and extorting Nigerians who are forced to pay exorbitant fees for visa interview appointment dates.

“One of the problems we have with increasing visa appointments is that our visa appointment system is manipulated by the visa facilitators who operate here, especially in Lagos,” Tuller says. Unfortunately, visa facilitators, travel agents, and others take advantage of our visa appointment system to make money. Even though they operate in the same parking lot as our consular operations in Lagos, we have little control over them because they are not on our property and we are unable to police them.

“Unfortunately, the visa facilitators here operate with impunity, for financial gain, and as long as they are allowed to do so and Nigerians continue to pay them exorbitant fees to get an appointment, that will almost certainly continue, making it very difficult for us to truly control the number of visa appointments that we make available.” So, before we get into the details, I’d like to emphasize that there’s no reason to pay extra fees to a visa facilitator or a travel agent.

“For this new interview renewal program, there are thousands of appointments available right now.” They are currently available online, and there is no reason to pay someone to get an appointment if you meet the criteria and follow the procedures. One of the most difficult aspects of paying someone or making an appointment is that visa facilitators book these appointments using fictitious information. So you have no idea what information they have in their system when you buy an appointment from them. This system becomes a part of your consular once the information is entered into it.”

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The facilitators, who set up shop in the car parks and adjacent buildings around the US Consulate on Walter Carrington Crescent, said they charge applicants between N250, 000 and N500, 000 for B1, B2 (tourist) US visas.
Pretending to be an applicant, I asked one of the facilitators, who identified himself as Joseph, for a date.

“I will only charge you N250, 000.” We collect N500, 000 before the drop box (US interview waiver program) opens. The reason for this is that we use the same procedure with B1, B2, and you. However, I can accept N250, 000 from you for this one because you appear to be concerned. Unless we receive that date, we do not collect any money from you. So, once we’ve secured your date and you’ve seen it, you can pay us. We’ll cancel it if you don’t pay,” he said.

Another facilitator stated that what they are doing is not illegal and that it has no negative impact on the United States; “if I did, the United States would not allow it.”
The facilitator also denied that Nigerians working at the US Embassy assist them, claiming that no one can hack into the US server and that the Consular Office makes every visa appointment date they have access to available on the internet.

“Because they are well paid, Nigerians working in the embassy do not engage in such practices.” They have a month to collect up to N6 million. So, how much will you be giving them? Because they have an agreement with the Nigerian government, the majority of the people who work there are Nigerians. They can’t just come in and hire their own people, but the customer service, visa, and consular sections are all staffed by Americans,” he explained.
The facilitator also described how they acquire and sell visa application interview dates.

“You must pay your visa fee in order to get a date.” It is the visa fee receipt number, your data page (international passport), and the bar code of the online application form that we will use to create a profile, user name, and password for you. That’s what we’ll use to schedule an appointment for you, so the date on your appointment and the barcode number on your GS160 form match up. “If it doesn’t add up, they won’t let you in,” he explained.

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Meanwhile, the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA) has denied that any of its members were involved in manipulating US visa appointments.
Mrs. Susan Akporiaye, President of NANTA, urged caution when making such remarks about travel agents.