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Nigeria protests 45 days wait for Canadian Visa

 

Nigeria has  protested the  delay in the issuance of Canadian visa which takes a minimum of  45 working  days to process. Foreign  Affairs Minister Olugbenga Ashiru,  in a  statement issued on Sunday in Abuja, described the delay as “unacceptable’’, and called for a review of the long wait period.

Ashiru, who had earlier summoned the Canadian High Commissioner  Chris Cooter over the issue,also  suggested  the use of photocopied passport data page  rather than holding applicant’s passport during the waiting period.

“Rather than holding on to visa applicant’s passports, the Mission should make do with   photocopies of the data pages and to sight the passports’’

“Thereafter, the passports can be surrendered to the Mission only at the point of the issuance of visas,’’

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“This will allow passport holders the opportunity to use their passports for other travels, pending the approval of their visa applications by the Canadian Mission’’, Ashiru said.

The minister, who stressed the cordial relations between Nigeria and Canada , said the Bi-National Commission between the two countries had paved the way for a deepened  relations, especially in the economic sector.

In his response, Cooter pledged to report the concerns expressed by  Ashiru to the appropriate authorities in Ottawa.

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The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Canada and Nigeria have maintained diplomatic relations for over 50 years and share a commitment to freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

They have also cooperated closely in multilateral forums, particularly through providing peacekeeping support in Sudan.

Nigeria is Canada’s largest bilateral merchandise trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa

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