The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has appealed to Nigerian visa applicants to exercise patience as it continues to resolve the challenges they face due to introducing a new service provider.

In August, the U.S. Mission in Nigeria launched a transition to a new visa appointment system, with Nigeria being one of the first countries in the world in which the American government launched the new system.

“We are aware, however, of the challenges many visa applicants are facing as the new system is implemented. Many of these issues have been resolved,” said the embassy in a recent statement. “We are addressing the remaining challenges with the new system as swiftly as possible.”

The statement added, “We regret the frustration and inconvenience many of our applicants for visas have experienced as we worked through this transition. We anticipate that all our applicants will soon see improved processing. As we complete the transition, for assistance with visa applications, online scheduling, or information about passport drop-off and delivery, please visit the Amentum Contact Center here.”

The embassy explained that the goal of the new visa system is to make obtaining visa appointments at “our embassy in Abuja and our consulate in Lagos easier for applicants and more transparent for all our visa applicants in Nigeria.”