The United States Mission in Nigeria has clarified that visa application fees are non-refundable, regardless of whether an applicant is granted or refused a visa.
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The Mission made the clarification on Wednesday in a post on its official social media account, @USinNigeria, while addressing what it described as a misconception that applicants whose visa requests are unsuccessful are entitled to a refund.
“MYTH: If a U.S. visa application is refused, the applicant receives a refund,” the Mission stated.
It explained that the money paid by an applicant is a processing fee and not a payment for the issuance of a visa.
“FACT: The fee paid is an application processing fee, not a payment for a visa to be issued,” it said.
According to the Mission, the fee covers the administrative cost of processing an application from submission through the point at which a final decision is reached. Consequently, the payment is not refundable even where the application ends in a refusal.
“It covers the cost of processing the application through a final decision, so the fee is non-refundable, regardless of whether the visa is issued or refused,” the Mission added.
The clarification means that payment of the required application fee should not be interpreted as a guarantee that a visa will be issued, as every application is considered on its individual merits before a decision is taken.
The Mission also advised prospective travellers and visa applicants to obtain information about U.S. visa procedures only through official government channels.
Visa seekers were further cautioned against relying on third-party agents, consultants or fraudulent schemes promising “guaranteed visas” or claiming that application fees would be refunded if a visa was not issued.
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