The U.S. Department of State has reversed its five-year visa policy for Nigerians seeking non-immigrant and non-official trips to America and will henceforth grant only three-month visas to applicants in these categories, in reciprocity for what was described as the same treatment American citizens get from the Nigerian government.
A memo released by the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria on Tuesday evening stated that President Donald Trump’s administration is reducing the five-year visa to only three months to curb visa overstays.
It noted that visas issued before Tuesday, July 8, remain valid and will not be affected by this policy.
Non-immigrant categories, which include tourism and business visas, constitute the substantial bulk of annual approvals for Nigerian citizens.
For several years, U.S. policy allowed a two-year validity for non-immigrant visas. However, in 2022, it was reviewed upward to five years amidst complaints that the two-year duration was too short.
With the new policy revising the duration to only three months, many Nigerians would question whether it is worth it to go through the hurdle of obtaining a U.S. visa.
The announcement came weeks after the Trump administration listed Nigeria among roughly three dozen countries to face visa restrictions. The decision was hinged on claims that most of the countries were corrupt or not properly vetting their citizens.
Mr Trump on Sunday asked that tariffs on Nigerian exports be reviewed by an extra 10 per cent due to the West African nation’s affiliation with BRICS.
