President Bola Tinubu has directed all relevant federal agencies to ensure full compliance with international protocols following recent changes in United States visa issuance policies affecting Nigerian citizens.
The directive comes days after the US Department of State updated its non-immigrant visa policy for several countries, including Nigeria.
According to the new guidelines, most non-diplomatic, non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerian citizens will now be valid for only three months and will allow just a single entry into the United States. The changes took effect immediately.
In a notice published on its website, the US Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria stated, “Those US non-immigrant visas issued before July 8, 2025, will retain their status and validity.
“We wish to underscore, that as is standard globally, visa reciprocity is a continuous process and is subject to review and change at any time, such as increasing or decreasing permitted entries and duration of validity. You can view the latest information on visa reciprocity schedules for all countries at travel.state.gov.”
Reacting to the development, Tinubu, through his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement on Tuesday, disclosed that the United States Government officially communicated that its decision was based on two principal factors: the current rate of visa overstays by Nigerian nationals and the need for reliable access to their records.
“It (US) further explained that the visa policy adjustment is part of its global visa reciprocity process, which is routinely reviewed and subject to change, including the number of permitted entries and validity durations,” the statement read.
In response, Tinubu then “directed all federal agencies to ensure full compliance with Nigeria’s international obligations and to strengthen inter-governmental cooperation in authenticating the identities of individuals seeking consular services abroad.”
Tinubu also urged Nigerians living overseas to obey the immigration laws of their host countries and to uphold the integrity of the permits and privileges granted to them under the laws of those jurisdictions.
Meanwhile, on the UAE visa policy change, the government disclosed that there has been no official communication from Emirati authorities regarding new visa restrictions, but has observed that visa issuance is “currently progressing in a gradual and orderly manner.”
