The US has made a well-known commerce to how it disorders non-immigrant visas to citizens of Nigeria and 30 other African countries and it’s already inflicting conversations all around the continent.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Embassy in Abuja confirmed that practically all non-diplomatic, non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians and by extension to others on the list, this would possibly well now be tiny to beautiful three months and handiest legitimate for a single entry. Which plan if you enable the U.S., you’ll have to be aware for a recent visa to return.
This coverage took lift out without prolong on July 9, 2025. Alternatively, it doesn’t have an impact on those that already retain legitimate visas issued earlier than that date, their most up-to-date visa periods will remain the same.
Though no detailed explanation became equipped for the sweeping commerce, visa choices are in most cases influenced by a combination of diplomatic members of the family, reciprocity rules, safety assessments, and immigration inclinations.
Within the previous, the U.S. has reviewed visa terms to compare how other countries treat People within the hunt for entry, or to manage overstay considerations.
For many African vacationers especially students, businesspeople, and tourists, this shorter visa duration would possibly well goal mean elevated costs and tighter planning.
Beforehand, some applicants would possibly well procure multi-year, extra than one-entry visas. Now, they’ll have to reapply extra gradually, without a guarantee of approval.
Listed right here are the 31 African countries plagued by the recent coverage:
Angola
Benin
Burkina Faso
Burundi
Cabo Verde
Cameroon
Chad
Congo Brazzaville
Congo DR
Cote d’Ivoire
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Gambia
Ghana
Libya
Madagascar
Malawi
Mozambique
Niger
Nigeria
Sao Tome and Principe
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Togo
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
While the U.S. hasn’t acknowledged whether extra countries shall be added or if this rule shall be reversed anytime quickly, vacationers from these 31 countries will now have to navigate this recent actuality, one short visa at a time.
