President Donald Trump’s administration has imposed travel restrictions on Nigerians wishing to travel to the United States, citing security concerns and the difficulty of national screening.
The new restrictions bar the entry of green card holders or Nigerians seeking to enter the United States on B‑1, B‑2, B‑1/B‑2, F, M, or J visas.
This means that Nigerians holding business (B‑1), tourism (B‑2), combined business and tourism (B‑1/B‑2), academic study (F), professional or non-academic study (M), and exchange program (J) visas will be prohibited from entering the United States under the new restrictions.
The White House announced the new restrictions in a statement posted on its website Tuesday.
“Entry into the United States by Nigerian nationals as immigrants and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended,” the statement read.
The United States cited the activities of Islamic extremist groups and the lingering security crisis in Nigeria as part of the reason for the decision.
As a result of the security crisis, the government claimed that it was difficult to properly investigate or verify the background, safety, and risks of people coming from these countries.
He also said that Nigerians have a high rate of visa overstay in the United States.
“Islamic extremist terrorist organizations such as Boko Haram and Islamic State operate freely in certain areas of Nigeria, making vetting and vetting much more difficult.
“According to the Overstay Report, the overstay rate for Nigeria’s B-1/B-2 visas was 5.56 percent and the overstay rate for F, M, and J visas was 11.90 percent.
“Entry of Nigerian nationals into the United States as immigrants and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas is hereby suspended,” the White House said.
The Trump administration also said consular officials in Nigeria have been directed to “shorten the validity period of other nonimmigrant visas issued to Nigerian citizens to the extent permitted by law.”
The restrictions come weeks after the United States designated Nigeria as a “country of special concern” after President Trump accused Nigeria of supporting Islamic extremists who persecute Christians in the country. The Nigerian government denied the accusations, saying the country’s security crisis was more complex.
However, talks regarding Nigeria’s security crisis continue between the two countries. Both countries send high-level delegations to each other. On Monday, US Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills and Nigeria’s Foreign Minister Yusuf Tugar met to discuss areas of “mutual concern.”
Restrictions for other countries
Meanwhile, the declaration imposed restrictions on 14 other countries.
The declaration adds 15 countries to the seven that were under partial restrictions in June.
Other newly added countries are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Ivory Coast, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
According to the declaration, the new ban will come into effect on January 1.
Additionally, this provision applies only to foreign nationals outside the United States who do not have a valid visa on the effective date of the proclamation.
“The restrictions and restrictions imposed by this proclamation are necessary to obtain cooperation from foreign governments, including to reduce overstay rates of their nationals, to enforce immigration laws, and to advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the proclamation states.
The Trump administration also cited high rates of visa overstay among citizens of these countries as a reason for the restrictions.
However, exemptions were granted for lawful permanent residents, diplomatic visas, major event athletes, and certain special immigrant visas.
The United States also granted immunity to ethnic and religious minorities persecuted by Iran.
However, new visa applicants from these countries are currently not permitted to enter the United States.
complete travel ban
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has imposed a total travel ban on Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Syria, and Sudan.
The report said these countries are problematic because they have a record of presenting “fraudulent or unreliable civil documents, criminal records, and widespread corruption.”
The U.S. government maintains the travel ban is a way to protect the country from foreign terrorists and other security threats.
U.S. officials also said they have difficulty adequately investigating or verifying the background, safety, and risks of people coming from these countries.
The administration also said these countries “generally lack stability and government control,” making them difficult to scrutinize.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals for whom we lack sufficient information to assess the risks posed by the United States, to obtain the cooperation of foreign governments, and to further our immigration enforcement and other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the White House proclamation said.
It also imposed a ban on “Palestinian Authority passport holders.”
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The United States cited the two-year war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and Hamas’ presence in Palestinian population centers as reasons for the ban.
In June, President Donald Trump issued travel bans on 12 countries and imposed travel restrictions on seven others.
At the time, countries that received a total ban included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela have tightened restrictions.
