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In June 2025, the Donald Trump-led administration in America considered imposing a visa ban and other travel restrictions on citizens of Nigeria and 24 other African countries.
Contributing to what many saw as an increased crackdown on immigration, the United States (US) government reviewed its visa policy for Nigerian citizens and announced some developments. The new adjustment stipulates visas to be 3-month, single-entry approvals.
This was made known on Jul. 8, 2025, as seen on an X post by its embassy. Until the public disclosure, the US government offered Nigerians a visa for an extended period, usually more than a year. At the same time, Nigeria only gives citizens from a foreign country a 3-month visa to visit the oil-rich nation.
This move has sparked questions and concerns among Nigerians, especially on social media, mostly among regular travellers and students.
The US embassy explained that this change is based on reciprocity, a foundational concept in international visa agreements.
As part of DUBAWA’s media and information literacy project, we are dissecting what a reciprocal visa means in a bid to curb fake narratives that may brew up online.
Definitions
Reciprocal visa policy is a visa arrangement between two countries where they agree to offer similar visa policies to each other’s citizens.
In other words, it means giving citizens of another country the same type of visa treatment that their country gives to the other country. This is a global practice, usually involving, but not limited to, the visa duration, number of entries allowed, and applicable fees.
This policy means that if Country A grants a particular type of visa to citizens of Country B, such citizens of Country A will receive the same privileges granted to them by the other country. If Country B issues a 5-year multiple-entry visa to nationals of Country A, Country A is expected to offer Country B the same deal and mirror similar fees accordingly.
It is a diplomatic tool to promote fairness and mutual respect. Thus, apart from Nigeria, other countries like Canada among others practice this principle of reciprocity.
Key changes in the US-Nigeria visa policy
As the US is now employing this policy for Nigerians, this shift means that the citizens of the African giant who are travelling overseas to a foreign country would only enjoy the three-month duration that Nigeria is giving to the US, too.
The US government emphasised that 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.
In line with this principle, the US recently revised its visa reciprocity policy for Nigerian applicants for non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas. Instead of the previous multi-entry, longer-term visas, Nigerian applicants will now receive single-entry visas valid for only three months.
This policy, which took effect on July 8, 2025, aligns with how the U.S. perceives Nigeria’s treatment of its citizens in visa matters and is based on factors like document security and overstay rates.
Meanwhile, the US embassy existing visas issued before the policy change remain valid under their original terms.
For Nigerians, however, this development may result in more frequent visa applications and increased travel costs, while the Nigerian government may also consider implementing reciprocal measures for US citizens.
The latest shift in visa policy is a call to action for Nigeria’s foreign relations agencies to ensure swift and strategic reforms in visa management. This includes fully implementing digital visa systems and strengthening coordination between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, and Nigerian missions abroad.
Conclusion
By enhancing transparency, border security and mutual respect in visa policies, Nigeria can present itself as a reliable partner and potentially influence the US to reconsider its restrictive stance. Nigeria must act decisively to improve conditions that could trigger a more favourable review.
