journalist, Ridwan Adeola Yusuf, has over 9 years of experience covering global affairs.

The United States (US) Department of State on Tuesday, July 8, announced updates to its reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy.

reports that the update affected several countries, including Nigeria.

The US Embassy in Nigeria said in a statement that, effective immediately, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period.

The statement reads:

"Those U.S. non-immigrant visas issued prior to July 8, 2025, will retain their status and validity."

The US Embassy stressed 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.

It added:

"You can view the latest information on visa reciprocity schedules for all countries at travel.state.gov."

Furthermore, American authorities stated that US visa standards and criteria are designed to protect the integrity of its immigration systems.

The US said:

"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."

It mentioned examples of standard criteria to include:

Giving a key assurance, the US said it values its longstanding relationship with Nigeria and "remains committed to expanding our partnership based on mutual respect, shared security priorities, and economic opportunity, keeping both our countries safer and stronger."

It commended the ongoing efforts by the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and security agencies to meet standards of international best practices.

The US stated that it will continue to engage with federal government officials to address the remaining challenges.

It concluded:

"Nigerian travelers are encouraged to respect and adhere to the terms of their visas, and ensure travel documents are authentic, accurate, and up to date. The United States remains a committed partner in deepening people-to-people ties with Nigeria via business, educational, and cultural exchanges.

"We look forward to continued cooperation at all levels with the Nigerian public and government officials to ensure safe and lawful travel between the United States and all countries.

Since entering office, President Donald Trump has said he maintains an America First policy.

In the space of just more than three months, Trump has signed more executive orders than any other US president. Trump has signed at least 142 executive orders so far.

During his 2024 election campaign, The 79-year-old made at least 75 promises, which included everything from mass deportations to releasing the 2021 Capitol Hill rioters.

According to PolitiFact, an American nonprofit project operated by the Poynter Institute that fact-checks news statements, Trump has kept six of his promises.

Reacting to the development on the new visa rules for Nigeria and others, journalist Eniola Akinkuotu wrote on X:

"Bad news for Nigerians. The U.S. Embassy in Nigeria just sent me a statement saying that henceforth only visas with 3 months validity & single entry will be issued to Nigerians applying for tourism and other non-immigrant visas. Those with existing lengthy visas remain valid.

"This is being done in the spirit of reciprocity. This means that the US is doing this because Nigeria first did it to American citizens."

Earlier, reported that the US Mission in Nigeria unveiled a new service provider for Nigerians.

The announcement which was made public on X showed that, with the new service provider, applicants can apply for their visas as well as book appointments.

Other services include: payment of visa application fee and account creation.

Source: Legit.ng