Now We Wait!
I mentioned Tuesday that we would need to begin the tedious process of the Nigerian Visa application. That very day, I waded into the deep hole and KJo finally dropped the FedEx envelope in the box about 6:15 Wednesday evening. Wow! What an experience!
They have simplified the actual application by about five pages. I do appreciate that, but the website is still incredibly buggy, clunky and slow. We were so happy to get that part finished and paid for Tuesday night, but the journey was only beginning.
After the application is completed for the Nigerian Consulate, then we have to print the application, print the payment receipt AND print the payment acknowledgment slip.
Payment receipt and payment acknowledgment slip? What is the difference? Who knows!
The proper thing after that is for both of us to make an appointment and travel to the consulate in New York City. We need the printed application, receipt and acknowledgment slip plus our passports, new passport-type photos, proof of flight and hotel reservations, a bank statement and a pocket full of money.
Then we leave all of that in NYC and go back in 8-10 business days and pick up our passports and hopefully the approved visa. Sounds completely simple, right? Yep, easy-peasy! NOT!
Since two trips to NYC are not feasible, we pay a company $240 each to carry the stuff into the consulate for us and pick it up when it is finished. The fee is way higher than it was 16 years ago, but I am sure they earn their money.
We send them all the things above and a big fat check, including more Nigerian government fees and wait a couple weeks for them to do their magic. Once they have the Nigerian visa in hand, they will overnight our passports and visas to us.
Hopefully, we did everything correctly and the applications will sail through and the visas are approved. Then we will work on trying to get the right flights for the right dates and all will be set.
After we are reunited with our people in Nigeria, it will all be worth it. I am looking forward to that!
Thank you for dropping by today.
Davy
