One Visa, Three Countries, and a Rejected Dream

# One Visa, Three Countries, and a Rejected Dream

David, a schoolteacher from Lagos, Nigeria, won the FIFA ticket lottery. Two group-stage tickets. He wore his only suit — second-hand, dark blue, slightly tight — to the US Embassy. The waiting room held two hundred people. The AC was broken. The visa officer slid a rejection letter under the glass. US B1/B2 visa wait times in Nigeria, India, and Colombia: over six months. FIFA proposed a unified "three-nation visa" in 2022. Three years later, progress: zero. Canada made a fast track. Mexico already exempts most countries. The US — hosting the most matches, including the final — changed nothing. David found a Canadian relative. Got a Canadian visa. Plans to take a bus from Vancouver to Seattle. At the land border, US CBP looks at your ticket and your face. The embassy looks at your bank balance and your life. "If I make it, take a photo. If I don't — write about me anyway. I'm not the only one stuck on this side of the line."