The United States of America Embassy in Nigeria has said that the reduction in visa validity for Nigerians is not a result of Nigeria’s stance on third-country deportations.
In a post made on X on Friday, July 11, the US embassy said it has become pertinent to address the misconceptions trailing its decision to reduce visa validity for Nigerians five-year multiple-entry visas to three months single entry among other conditions.
Recall that the US had cited reciprocity policy as reason for its decision to reduce the visa validity for Nigerians.
However, in a swift reaction to the US decision, the Nigerian government had denied stopping the five-year non-immigrant multiple-entry visas enjoyed by US citizens.
The special adviser to the president on information and strategy, Bayo Onanuga in a statement said the claim by the US does not accurately reflect the actual situation.
Onanuga who expressed FG’s readiness to engage with the US to address the restrictions said that, President Bola Tinubu upon assumption of office had issued a directive for Nigeria to implement all bilateral agreements with other nations.
He also said that the president directed an adherence to the principle of reciprocity in diplomatic relations.
According to Onanuga, the Nigerian government has not deviated from granting US citizens the 5-year multiple-entry visas.
He added that the 90-day single-entry visa adopted by the Nigerian government only applies to e-visas, a short-term visa category for tourists and business people who may not wish to undergo the standard visa application process and long wait time.
In addition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar in a recent interview alleged that the US was pressuring Nigeria and other Africa countries to accept Venezuelan deportees from America.
Tuggar, in his claim, said that some of the deportees, straight out of prison cannot be accommodated in Nigeria, especially with the country’s growing population which currently stands at 230 million.
He said, “It will be difficult for a country like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners into Nigeria. We have enough problems of our own; we cannot accept Venezuelan deportees to Nigeria, for crying out loud.”
In its response to these claims, the US Embassy in Nigeria said, “The U.S. Mission Nigeria wishes to address misconceptions about the recent reduction in visa validity for most nonimmigrant U.S. visas in Nigeria and other countries.
“This reduction is not the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS.
“The reduction in validity is part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems.
“We value our longstanding partnership with Nigeria and remain committed to working closely with the Nigerian public and government officials to help them meet those criteria and benchmarks, thereby ensuring safe, lawful, and mutually beneficial travel between our nations,” the US Embassy added.
