Here's why your American visa application failed

William Laidlaw, the Consul-General, United States Embassy, explained recently that to qualify for a visit to the US, an applicant must show that he had social and economic ties sufficient to meet the American immigration terms, adding that those who failed to meet this requirement were often turned down.

He addressed journalists on Thursday, saying that those who had social and economic ties usually stood better chances of obtaining US visa than those who don’t.

He said, “To really qualify for a visit to the US, you have to show you have social and economic ties sufficient to meet the immigration terms we have in our laws.

“To have those social and economic ties usually means somebody who has developed a career, developed a household and has done something to develop himself within Nigeria.”

He also said people who were refused visa could re-apply if they felt that the situations had changed, as according to him, statistics showed that many who re-applied were issued visas.

He said, “If you can establish your social and economic ties and we understand who you are in Nigerian context, that allows us to make an evaluation; it’s very hard for very young people, I’m sorry, but that’s the way the law is written.”

He, however, said young business people or students refused visas should not be discouraged as they could be successful in their subsequent applications.

According to him, no fewer than 7,000 Nigerians are studying in his country, noting that 66 per cent of tourist visa applications were approved in 2014.

The Consul-General said that the missions in Abuja and Lagos processed between 400 and 900 visa applications daily, excluding the drop-box applications which are meant for visa renewal.