The United States has given a serious warning to Nigerians about the risks of staying longer than allowed on their visas. The US says anyone who overstays could be deported and possibly banned from entering the country permanently.
This warning is part of a series of new travel rules and visa restrictions targeted at Nigerian visitors. These changes are part of the US government’s wider immigration crackdown under former President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted on its official X (formerly Twitter) handle, the US Mission in Nigeria said overstaying your visa is a major violation. The post read: “If you remain in the United States beyond your authorised period of stay, you could be deported and could face a permanent ban on travelling to the United States in the future.”
Just last week, the US adjusted its visa reciprocity policy for Nigerians. It now offers only a three-month single-entry visa for non-diplomatic and non-immigrant travelers. The reasons given include too many people overstaying, national security concerns, and the submission of false documents.
Alongside the new time limits, the US has also introduced a new $250 Visa Integrity Fee. This applies to people applying for student, work, or tourist visas.
The new policy also adds more mandatory charges that travelers can’t avoid. These include a $24 fee for the I-94 arrival form, and a $13 fee for ESTA (for travelers using the Visa Waiver Program). These fees will affect many types of visas like:
- B-1/B-2 for tourists and business visitors
- F and M for students
- H-1B for workers
- J for exchange programs
Only people applying for diplomatic visas (categories A and G) will not be affected by these new charges.
These announcements came soon after another change was made. The US now requires all visa applicants—especially those applying for study visas—to provide their social media usernames and make their profiles public. This helps the US carry out deeper checks on who is entering the country.
In a post explaining this, the US Embassy said that every visa decision is linked to national security. They stated that anyone applying for student or exchange visas must now change their privacy settings to public for their social media accounts.
Since coming into office, President Trump has pushed for tougher immigration laws. He signed several orders to improve background checks and to remove immigrants who entered illegally.
Trump also ordered that people already living in the US should be monitored, to ensure they are not helping any group seen as a threat to the country or spreading hate.
