The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Y. C. Maikyau, SAN, is liaising with the US Ambassador to Nigeria and the Minister for Foreign Affairs to expedite visa interview appointment dates for members who intend to attend the International Bar Association (IBA) Conference,  holding in Miami, Florida, US from 30th October to 4th November, 2022.

This was disclosed in a statement on Sunday, by the National Publicity Secretary Akorede Habeeb Lawal made available to The Lawyer.

Read the press release:

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mr. Y. C. Maikyau, SAN, has received complaints from members regarding the 2022 International Bar Association (IBA) Conference, scheduled to hold from 30th October to 4th November, 2022 in Miami, Florida, United States of America. The complaint borders on the difficulty of members in securing visa appointment dates ahead of the conference.

We understand that a number of factors come into play in giving interview dates, such as backlog of applications, available human resource and the constraints from COVID-19 pandemic. The NBA President has however sought the intervention of the US Ambassador to Nigeria for possible expedited visa interview appointment date. To this end, the Honourable Minister for Foreign Affairs, has offered to engage the US Embassy in that regard. Consequently, members are required to provide the following documents to facilitate the process:

a. Evidence of membership of the International Bar Association
b. Evidence of full payment of the IBA Conference participation fee.
c. Evidence of membership of the Nigerian Bar Association (Branch confirmation of good-standing).
d. Duly completed Non-Immigrant Visa form (DS-160 Form)
e. Evidence of payment of visa fees.

Kindly note, that the intervention referred to above is not an assurance of issuance of entry visas into the United States but an effort at facilitating early visa interview dates for members who have registered for the Conference and have satisfied all the pre-conditions for entry visa. All eligible applicants MUST go through the prescribed visa interview process and only successful applicants will be issued the relevant entry visa.

All eligible and interested members should forward their details (Name, Enrolment Number, Branch and Passport Number) to the office of the General Secretary of the NBA on or before the close of business on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, via the following email: [email protected].

Thank you.

Akorede Habeeb Lawal
National Publicity Secretary