Nigeria Launches First Visa Application Agency Asfaar to Tackle Fake Documents, Ease Travel
- The Nigerian government has launched the country's first visa processing agency to ease visa applications
- The centre also aims to collaborate with relevant agencies and government bodies to fast-track visa applications for Nigeria
- It will also partner with NIMC and ONSA in cleaning up Nigeria’s data and boosting data integrity and sanctity
Legit.ng’s Pascal Oparada has reported on tech, energy, stocks, investment and the economy for over a decade.
The Nigerian government, via the Foreign Affairs Ministry, has unveiled Asfaar, Nigeria’s first visa application centre, to process travel requests and tackle document fraud.
Nigeria’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar, said the centre is essential to keeping Nigeria’s sovereignty in its relations with other countries.
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FG steps in to ease visa restrictions
Tuggar disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja, where he was represented by his special assistant on media and communications, Alkasim Abdulkadir.
Several visa service-providing agencies operate in Nigeria, such as the French-owned TLScontact and VFS Global.
According to Tuggar, before now, one of the main issues some countries have with Nigeria is data integrity and sanctity.
Nigeria to clean up its chequered data
The minister said there have been efforts to clean up the data coming out of Nigeria.
He said the clean-up includes collaboration with ONSA, NIMC and the foreign affairs ministry, to ensure that the data and passports and other documents of agencies are cleaned up and have the value to travel.
He said:
The chief executive of Asfaar, Jamil Hausawi, said the agency was created to ease the rising cases of visa restrictions and challenges Nigerians travelling abroad face.
TheCable reports that the Asfaar boss said that while visa approvals remain the responsibility of embassies, applicants using the agency will have relevant government agencies act as intermediaries.
Asfaar to be launched in phases
Hausawi said the agency’s launch will be in three phases, saying that the first phase will cover Arab and Gulf states, which will attract a high traffic of Nigerian travellers.
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He disclosed that the second phase would extend to Asia and Australia, while the third phase will cover Europe and the US, noting that the rollout would be gradual.
Asfaar spokesman, Nelson Obiabo, said that the agency has begun services, with full operations commencing soon, as integration with agencies and consulates is finalised.
Nigeria set to reciprocate US visa policy
Legit.ng earlier reported that the federal government vowed to respond in kind to a recent US visa policy that requires Nigerian applicants to submit their social media profiles and activities from the past five years as part of their visa application.
The United States Mission in Nigeria announced on Monday, August 18 of a new requirement for all visa applicants, mandating the disclosure of social media usernames and handles used in the past five years.
According to the Mission, applicants are expected to provide a comprehensive list of their social media profiles on the DS-160 visa application form.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
