The United States Embassy in Nigeria has reportedly commenced revoking valid visas of Nigerian citizens, leaving professionals, entrepreneurs, frequent travellers, and families stranded.
This was revealed by former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, Olufemi Soneye in an article titled “The Quiet Revocation: Why is the U.S. Silently Cancelling Nigerians’ Visas?”
He stated that several affected individuals have confirmed receiving official letters from the embassy in recent weeks, instructing them to submit their passports at the consulate in Lagos or Abuja. Upon submission, their visas were cancelled without explanation.
The cancellation notices, citing Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122, vaguely stated that “new information became available after the visa was issued,” but provided no details, evidence, or avenues for appeal.
Among those impacted are a prominent journalist, the head of a federal government agency scheduled to deliver an international address, and an Abuja-based entrepreneur with a spotless travel record.
Others include professionals and frequent travellers who rely on visas for education, family reunions, medical treatment, and critical business engagements.
Some travellers only discovered the cancellations at airports and boarding gates, with a few briefly detained by immigration officials before being turned back. Several were forced to cancel trips, refund tickets, and explain to partners why they could no longer attend important meetings.
Despite the gravity of the situation, neither the U.S. Embassy nor Nigerian authorities have issued a public statement addressing the wave of cancellations, leaving affected citizens in limbo.
Those affected insist they have never overstayed visas, violated immigration rules, or raised security concerns. The sudden revocations have therefore sparked fears of a quiet but targeted tightening of U.S. visa policy against Nigerians.
In a statement on X on Tuesday, the US mission warned that misusing a visa, particularly by “overstaying in the country beyond the authorised period,” could “jeopardise future travel” to the U.S. and lead to “severe consequences.”
The Mission’s statement read, “It’s important to use your US visa according to its terms. Misusing it, for example, by overstaying, may affect your ability to travel to the U.S. in the future.”
The warning follows a report by the U.S. Department of State that cited “over 700,000 visa overstays in 2023 alone,” with Nigeria among the top countries affected.
The article notes that the “1996 Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act” imposes a “three-year ban” on reentry for those who overstay between 180 and 365 days and a “ten-year ban” for overstays exceeding a year.
