The recent tightening of visa policies by countries like the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and United Arab Emirates, has sparked concerns about a potential ‘visa war’, with the new developments leaving many Nigerians questioning the future of global mobility.
These changes have led to questions about the motivations behind these restrictions and their potential impact on relations between Nigeria and these countries.
First, the United States Department of State’s new visa policy on Nigerian citizens, has left many Nigerians in a state of confusion, as many cite potential disruptions to their plans and activities.
Others, are worried about the impact on the educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
The US new visa policy, which reduced non-immigrant visa validity to three months with single-entry permit and enhanced social media screening for student visa applicants, is reportedly analysed as a reciprocal response to Nigeria’s downgrading of US citizens visa validity to three months. However, the Presidency cleared the air on Thursday, saying what it reduced to three months was e visa which replaced the visa on arrival policy. It said Nigeria was still granting regular visas with multiple entries and as long as five years.
Under the new policy, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians will be valid for only three months and limited to a single entry.
Just as the US released the stricter visa rules on Nigerian travellers, government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), in a similar development, has also introduced it’s new visa regulations for Nigerian citizens, effective immediately, relating key changes to include, Transit Visa Ban, stating that Nigerian nationals are no longer