❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Trump administration has restricted temporary visas for Nigerians, limiting most to single-entry visas valid for only three months.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Donald J. Trump, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, and Nigerian travelers.
📍WHEN & WHERE: United States and Nigeria, July 2025.
💬KEY QUOTE: “Effective immediately, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.” – U.S. Embassy in Abuja.
🎯IMPACT: The move is part of broader Trump-era security measures affecting African nations, raising diplomatic tensions and threatening future trade opportunities with West Africa.
Temporary-stay visas for Nigerians visiting the United States have been slashed to three months and are now limited to single entry only. The change, announced by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja, follows a wave of travel restrictions under President Donald Trump’s administration.
The embassy’s statement on Tuesday framed the move as an “update to its reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy,” noting that it impacts several countries, including Nigeria. Previously, visa durations and terms varied widely depending on the applicant’s purpose of travel.
The visa clampdown comes shortly after Trump ordered sweeping travel bans and restrictions affecting nationals from more than a dozen countries, citing concerns about national security and insufficient vetting systems. Citizens of Chad, Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan were banned outright. Chad responded by suspending U.S. visa issuances in return.
“In my first term, my powerful travel restrictions were one of our most successful policies, and they were a key part of preventing major foreign terror attacks on American soil,” Trump said at the time, adding, “We will not let what happened in Europe happen to America.”
The Trump administration’s broader immigration crackdown has intensified scrutiny on African nations and sparked concern among diplomats and trade partners. The latest decision to curtail Nigerian travel is seen as part of a larger pattern of policy designed to overhaul and harden American entry requirements.
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