Summary: Claims that the U.S. Embassy in Monrovia’s visa service changes are linked to the Independence Day remarks by Dr. Robtel Pailey are Misleading. Our fact check has found that the changes are part of a global update affecting multiple U.S. Embassies across Africa.
The US Embassy-Liberia August 8 announced that it will be transitioning to a new visa services provider, resulting in a “temporary suspension of all nonimmigrant and immigrant visa appointment services” beginning August 16 “until the new website is online”.
This announcement has sparked claims about the future of US Visa availability for Liberia with some insinuating that the decision is a reaction to Liberia’s 177th Independence Day Orator Dr. Robtel Neajai Pailey’s critical opinion about US-Liberia relations.
Facebook blogs like Diamond Online implied that the change is a reaction to comments made by the Independence Day Orator, who criticized U.S. policies toward Liberia.
This post was shared by blogs like Front Page Liberia, referencing Diamond Online.
The Claim
Rating Justification
To fact-check this claim, we examined the U.S. Embassy’s announcements and found that the transition to a new visa services provider is not isolated to Liberia.
On July 29, U.S. Embassy in Abuja and the U.S. Consulate General in Lagos through their website, Twitter, and Facebook announced that On August 26, 2024, the visa application process will be moving to a new visa services provider.
US Embassies in Ghana, Sierra Leone, and Abidjan also made the same announcement in the respective countries. Also, the US Embassy in Suriname posted the same information on January 13, 2024.
We also found an article from the Ghanaian Times covering a briefing of the Consul General of the US Embassy in Ghana, confirming a transition to a new visa service provider is scheduled for August 26, 2024.
The US Counsel General announced that the decision is in line with a broader update to visa services being rolled out at US Embassies in many countries worldwide.
Conclusion
The transition of the visa application service/system is part of a global update affecting several U.S. Embassies and is not specific to Liberia or related to any recent statement.
US Embassy in Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone amongst others have also announced the transitioning to a new visa services, affecting their visa application websites.
This report is produced with funding from the USAID Media Activity. The funder has No say in the editorial decisions leading to the production of this content