The Donald Trump administration has imposed travel restrictions on Nigerians hoping to travel to the US, citing security concerns and difficulties in vetting nationals.
The new restriction bars entry for Nigerians seeking to enter the US as green card holders, or on B‑1, B‑2, B‑1/B‑2, F, M, and J visas.
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This means Nigerians who hold visas for business (B‑1), tourism (B‑2), combined business and tourism (B‑1/B‑2), academic studies (F), vocational or nonacademic studies (M), and exchange programmes (J) are now barred from entering the United States under the new restrictions.
The White House announced the new restrictions in a proclamation published on its website on Tuesday.
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“The entry into the United States of nationals of Nigeria as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended,” the statement reads.
The US raised the operations of radical Islamist groups in Nigeria and the persistent security crisis as some of the reasons for its decisions.
It claimed that as a result of the security crisis, the government found it difficult to properly check or verify the background, security, or risk of people coming from those countries.
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It also stated that Nigerians have a high rate of visa overstay in the US.
“Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties.
“According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 percent.
“The entry into the United States of nationals of Nigeria as immigrants, and as nonimmigrants on B-1, B‑2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas, is hereby suspended,” the White House said.
The Trump administration also said consular officers in Nigeria have been instructed to “reduce the validity for any other nonimmigrant visa issued to nationals of Nigeria to the extent permitted by law.”
The restrictions come weeks after the US designated Nigeria a ‘Country of Particular Concern,’ after Mr Trump accused Nigeria of supporting Islamic extremists persecuting Christians in Nigeria. The Nigerian government denied the accusation, saying the security crisis in the country was more complex.
However, talks on Nigeria’s security crisis have been ongoing between both countries. Both countries have sent high-level delegations to each other. On Monday, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, and Nigeria’s Foreign Minister, Yusuf Tuggar, met to discuss areas of “mutual concern.”
Restriction on other countries
Meanwhile, the proclamation imposed restrictions on 14 other countries.
The proclamation added 15 countries to the seven countries that had been placed under partial restrictions in June.
The other newly added countries are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
According to the proclamation, the new ban will take effect on 1 January.
Also, it applies only to foreign nationals outside the United States who do not have a valid visa on the effective date of the proclamation.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by this proclamation are necessary: to garner cooperation from foreign governments, including as to reducing overstay rates of their nationals; enforce our immigration laws; and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the proclamation read.
The Trump administration also cited a high rate of nationals from these countries overstaying their visas as the reason for the restriction.
However, lawful permanent residents, diplomatic visas, athletes for major events, and certain special immigrant visas were granted an exemption.
The US also granted an exemption to persecuted ethnic and religious minorities from Iran.
However, new visa applicants in these countries will not currently be allowed to enter the US.
Total travel ban
Meanwhile, the US government imposed a total travel ban on Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger, Syria, and Sudan.
It said these countries are problematic because of their record of presenting “fraudulent or unreliable civil documents, criminal records, and widespread corruption.”
The US government claims that travel bans are a way to protect the country against foreign terrorists and other security threats.
US authorities also said they found it difficult to properly check or verify the background, security, or risk of people coming from those countries.
The administration also stated that the countries had a “general lack of stability and government control,” which made vetting difficult.
“The restrictions and limitations imposed by the Proclamation are necessary to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives,” the White House proclamation read.
It also imposed a ban on “Palestine Authority passport holders.”
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The US identified two years of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, as well as the presence of the Hamas group in Palestinian population centers, as reasons for this ban.
In June, President Donald Trump imposed a travel ban on 12 countries and travel restrictions on seven others.
At the time, countries that received an outright ban included Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.
Those with heightened restrictions were Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
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