After a group of students accused Taiwan’s representative office in Nigeria of sabotaging visa applications, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Tuesday denied that the office’s screening processes were discriminatory.
A press release issued by a group representing West African students enrolled at Taiwanese universities accused the Taipei Trade Office in Nigeria, the sole office in the region, of “discriminatory treatment” for its alleged use of “a number of manipulative tactics to prevent people from getting visas.”
Some applicants that originally requested an appointment in August were told they could only arrange a visa interview for December, according to the group.
The group described this scheduling as “manipulative,” given that the office knew the academic semester had already started in Taiwan.
The statement also claimed that MOFA had said those from West Africa were screened more vigorously due to previous applicants overstaying visas and getting caught using forged documents.
However, the students said the office was masking its “gross unprofessionalism” under the guise of “administrative procedures required to secure a visa.”
The group also alleges that students who had booked appointments, some of whom had flown from other countries, were told that they did not have one after arriving at the scheduled time.
The statement called on Taiwan’s government to reduce visa application processing times and make information regarding visa applications more transparent for applicants.
Responding to the statement, MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that out of a total of 40 visa application appointments from Sept. 1 to Nov. 8, 18 did not make an application on time and five had been rejected due to falsified documents and failed visa interviews.
Eight visas had already been granted, while the remaining applications were still being reviewed Ou said.
These, like visa applications at all of Taiwan’s overseas representative offices, would be reviewed in accordance with existing regulations, according to Ou, who also emphasized the need to ensure documents submitted for application were authentic.
However, the students argued that a relatively small number of violations did not warrant the assumption that “all documents submitted by West African students for the purpose of visa application are doctored.”
Ou responded by stating the same standards were applied to all applicants across the globe, rejecting the implication that the Lagos office was engaged in discriminatory practices.
To authenticate documents submitted for visa applications, Taiwan’s representative offices need to establish contact with local authorities, which could take longer depending on each government’s processing times, Ou said.
According to Ou, Taiwan’s overseas offices had stopped accepting visa applications after the Central Epidemic Control Center closed the nation’s borders to non-residents in late May amid a spike in domestic COVID-19 cases.
She added that visa application services resumed in late August when domestic transmissions in Taiwan began to subside.
To allow foreign students to travel to Taiwan in a more timely fashion, Ou said MOFA has asked all of its overseas offices to move student visa application appointment dates to sometime before No. 22.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel