NOVO INIZIO CONSULTANTS LLC, UNVEILS WEEKLY IMMIGRATION CLINIC SESSIONS IN LAGOS
Worried by the influx of touts, who have completely and effectually taken over visa application and immigration related services from professionals in Nigeria, and in return offered poor and abysmal immigration related services to visa Applicants with the attendant consequence of perpetual increase in the percentage of number of visa denials from foreign embassies, High Commissions and consulates, one of the top immigration and business law firms in Nigeria, Prince Joel & Associates , in partnership with NOVO INIZIO CONSULTANTS LLC, a US based firm, on the 5th of April 2018 at no. 5a Dozek Close, Off Alternative Route, Chevron Drive, Lagos, Nigeria launched its newest professional immigration weekly service sessions, tagged, ‘Immigration Clinic’, to offer sound professional services to its teeming clients on practical knowledge of visa application requirements, practice, procedures and other immigration related matters.
It would be recalled that Prince O. Williams-Joel Esq, was recently appointed director of NOVO INIZIO CONSULTANTS LLC.
Speaking at the event, a partner and Head of Chambers, Prince Joel and Associates, Michael T.A Damiari Esq lamented that prospective visa Applicants in Nigeria have severally fallen prey to the activities of touts posing as traveling agents and that the vision of the immigration clinic is to discourage the patronage of touts and provide prospective applicants with sound professional services on immigration related matters.
On his own part, an immigration attorney and Senior Associate Prince Joel and Associates, Idowu Lawal Esq, stated that the statistics of the visa refusals are alarming. According to him, over 400 visa applications are received by the US Abuja Consulate office on a daily basis while the Lagos office, receives about 900 applications daily. He stated that sadly, the percentage of visa approval is less than 35 percent, while the rate of denials /refusals is in the range of 65 percent.
Prince Joel in his briefing stated that the birth of immigration clinic was a strategic cross border collaboration by
immigration experts cutting across immigration attorneys in US, Canada, UK, Australia and Nigeria to address growing concerns posed by touts and dearth of practical knowledge of visa application requirements, practice, procedure and other immigration related matters. According to him, immigration clinic would render services to visa applicants and interested persons in US, Canada, UK, Australia and Nigeria and other countries; the services sought to be rendered include but not limited to the following: on the spot legal services in foreign countries on immigration related issues, free visa assessments, visa Advisory, mock visa interviews, Expatriate Management, requirement for Import/Export to US vide African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and other US Africa bilateral trade policies.
He stated that the immigration experts would from their respective countries lecture, address and entertain questions from participants during the immigration clinic sessions with the aid of the firm’s world class digital conferencing / electronic gadgets. He hinted that aside the weekly immigration session, visa Applicants can still be offered legal immigration services on other days. According to Prince Joel, the weekly would commence from the 9th of April 2018.
Prince Joel further stated that the introduction of the weekly sessions would empower visa applicants with the requisite practical knowledge for a successful visa processing, interview and successful handling of immigration related issues at the respective foreign embassies, High Commissions and consulates. He however emphasised that the firm is not a visa issuing authority but only rendering professional immigration legal services to dissuade the patronage of touts in the industry.
On Immigration Clinic Session proper, Prince Joel stated that the Immigration clinic shall commence from the 9th of April 2018. The Immigration clinic session is scheduled to hold on Thursdays of every week and a participant is expected to pay NGR 25,000.00 to sign up. The session is expected to last for 2 to 3 hours per week. The duo foreign immigration experts would lecture, address and entertain questions from participants during the sessions from US with the aid of the firm’s world class digital conferencing / electronic gadgets. Prince Joel and team in Nigeria would complement the US based immigration experts.
Speaking during the live press briefing sessions, Nedum Ejiogu Esq , a US based seasoned immigration expert of several years, speaking through video enabled phone call reiterated that the US team would be on ground to provide prompt immigration advisory services to participants.
Speaking earlier, another immigration expert from the UK with wealth of experience on immigration matters, Gabriel Enuzie Esq, speaking through video enabled phone call, also lauded the novel project which to him, would address varying issues relating to immigration.
The press briefing dovetailed to a Question and answer session from the members of the press and the distinguished guests on immigration related subject matter. The foreign immigration experts and the Nigerian team of immigration attorneys responded to all the questions, thus, setting the pace for the formal commencement of the clinic session in Lagos, Nigeria for effective delivery of the objectives of the immigration clinic to members of the public.
The bold step taken by the firm is highly commended and it is believed that this novel idea would herald an era of a new beginning and cause prospective visa applicants and persons with visa related issues to heave a sigh of relief.
Michael T.A Damiari Esq
Partner & Head of Chambers,
Prince Joel & Associates.
