U.S. reduces visa duration for Nigerians from five years to three months

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.
We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.
More from Peoples Gazette

Agriculture
FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology
The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Politics
Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku
“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Health
Malnutrition: Red Cross urges northern govs to declare state of emergency in health sector
Aminu Abdullahi, the acting director of healthcare at NRCS, stated that malnutrition remained one of the most underreported health issues in the country.

Education
Bill to establish varsity of science in Gombe scales second reading
Deputy Senate President Jibrin Barau commended the sponsor of the bill on his passion for the educational development of Gombe State and the North-East in general.

Politics
2027: Opposition coalition in Gombe adopts ADC
Idris Umar, a former Minister of Transportation, said the coalition aimed to rescue Gombe from hardship.

Economy
Dangote Refinery reduces ex-depot price of fuel to N820 per litre
It would be recalled that the company last week reduced its ex-depot price from N880 to N840 per litre.

NationWide
FG launches passport front office for senior public officials
Mr Tunji-Ojo said the office has a specialised facility designated to facilitate a timely and seamless passport process.

Kano
EFCC quizzes man over undeclared $420,900, £5,825, CFA3.95 million cash
Mr Oyewale said the suspects would be charged to court as soon as the investigation was concluded.