Nigeria was never one of the participating countries for US visa waiver program while the United Kingdom is still part of it, Reuters fact check team have found.
The US Visa Waiver Program allows citizens of member countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for stays of up to 90 days or less without a visa, according to, opens new tab the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which administers the program along with the US Department of State.
According to an internal memo seen by Reuters on March 14, US President Donald Trump’s administration is considering issuing sweeping travel restrictions for the citizens of a total of 41 countries divided into three separate groups. The list, however, does not feature Nigeria or the UK.
However, there are no credible reports of changes to the status of either country.
A webpage last updated on March 12, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) lists its latest bulletins, opens new tab for travel carriers, also shows no notices regarding the UK or Nigeria.
The Department of State directed Reuters to their website and the Department of Homeland Security website for more information.
The CBP declined to comment.
The Visa Waiver Program webpage notes that the UK has been a part of the program since 1988 and that only “British citizens who have the unrestricted right of permanent abode in the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man)” are eligible to benefit.
The list does not feature any African countries.
The page notes that the only countries to have been removed from the list are Argentina and Uruguay, which were part of the Visa Waiver Program from July 8,1996, to February 21, 2002, and from August 9, 1999, to April 15, 2003, respectively.
Nigerian citizens can apply for a US Visa online, opens new tab, after which they are required to complete document verification and interview at the US Consulate in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Culled from Reuters
