Urban News

The United States, US has made major changes to its visa policies for Nigerian passport holders. In the last five years, between 2020 and 2025, policies have shifted significantly, moving from less restrictive, longer-term visas to far more restrictive terms.

Pre-2020, Nigerians typically received multi-year, multiple-entry non-immigrant visas. Tourist (B1/B2), student (F, M), and business visas were frequently granted for up to two or five years at a time

More so, non-immigrant and Non-diplomatic Visas often previously allowed multiple entries over a period of several years. As of July 8, 2025, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic US visas for Nigerian citizens are now limited to a single entry and valid for only three months.

Existing visas have also been affected, and the US non-immigrant visas issued before July 8, 2025, will retain their full status and original validity.

Reasons for the Policy Shift

The US government described these restrictions as a result of a “reciprocity” adjustment to better align its practice with Nigeria’s own visa policies — Nigeria issues single-entry, three-month visas to Americans.

National security concerns, the need for better visa overstay management and secure travel documentation are some the reasons cited by the US officials for the new policies.

The new policies have placed a mandatory visa integrity fee on Nigerian applicants for certain visa categories (F, M, B-1/B-2, H-1B, J). They must now pay a $250 Visa Integrity Fee.

Additional unwaivable fees were also introduced, such as the $24 I-94 fee and $13 ESTA fee (for eligible travelers).

The policy further expects applicants to have clean social media records, as all F, M, and J visa processes would involve account vetting.

Overstays are not going to be tolerated in the new policy.

The US further updated its embassy process. Applicants must now visit the US Consulate in Lagos twice: first for an in-person document review, then for the visa interview itself. This process aims to reduce delays from incomplete documentation.

Visa reciprocity is under active review and may be further adjusted at any time; both the duration and number of permitted entries could change again. The US is also considering a major expansion of its travel ban, which could include Nigeria if security and identity verification standards are not met.