U.S. announces major policy shift, restricts nonimmigrant visas for Nigerians

According to a statement issued by the U.S. State Department, effective July 8, 2025, most nonimmigrant and non-official visas issued to Nigerians will be restricted to single entry and valid for only three months.

Under the new guidelines, affected visa applicants will now be subject to updated terms of validity and entry conditions, as part of what the U.S. government calls a “reciprocity adjustment.”

The changes are aimed at aligning the treatment of Nigerian nationals with how U.S. citizens are treated under Nigeria’s visa regime.

“U.S. visa criteria and standards are designed to protect the integrity of U.S. immigration systems. These standards are based on global technical and security benchmarks. The U.S. Mission is working with the Government of Nigeria to ensure that Nigeria can meet the criteria.”

“Those U.S. non-immigrant visas issued prior to July 8, 2025, will retain their status and validity. We wish to underscore, that as is standard globally, visa reciprocity is a continuous process and is subject to review and change at any time, such as increasing or decreasing permitted entries and duration of validity.” the statement noted

The changes apply to nonimmigrant visas, those typically issued for purposes such as tourism (B1/B2), business, or study (F and M categories).

Until now, most Nigerian applicants received multiple-entry visas valid for between two to five years. These allowed travellers to enter and exit the U.S. freely during the validity period without needing to reapply for each visit.

Under the updated policy, this flexibility has been sharply curtailed.

Nigerian travellers will now be issued single-entry visas valid for only three months.

This means that once a traveller enters and exits the United States, the visa cannot be reused, even if time remains on it.

To return, applicants must begin the entire visa process again, including payment of application fees and scheduling new interviews where required.

The shift not only increases the financial burden and administrative demands on Nigerian travellers but also limits their ability to plan multiple trips or respond to last-minute obligations abroad—particularly for businesspeople, students, and frequent flyers.