The United States of America says it is not true that Nigeria’s alignment with the BRICS organization is responsible for its recent review of its visa policy
The denial is contained in a statement posted by U.S. Mission in Nigeria on its website on Friday.
On Tuesday, the U.S. had announced a sudden change to the 5 years multiple entry visa for Nigerian applicants, reducing it to just 3-months single entry.
The downgrade, it said was based on the policy of diplomatic reciprocity, suggesting that Nigeria was issuing 3-months visas to U.S. applicants
But the Nigerian government in a detailed statement issued through the presidency on Thursday clarified that that was not the case.
The statement read in part, “The Nigerian government has not deviated from granting US citizens a 5-year multiple-entry non-immigrant visa, just as the US has continued to grant the same to Nigerians.
“The 90-day single-entry Visa validity period only applies to the newly introduced e-Visas, a short-term visa category for tourists and business people who may not wish to undergo the standard visa application process and wait. The e-visa replaces the now obsolete Visa-on-arrival, which was inefficient and often used as a means of extortion”.
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On Friday, the U.S. issued its second statement, this time, not referring to the issue of diplomatic reciprocity, but justifying its actions on what it calls “technical and security benchmarks’
It also claimed it is not as a result of Nigeria’s affiliations with the BRICS.
The statement read, “The U.S. Mission in Nigeria wishes to address misconceptions about the recent reduction in visa validity for most non-immigrant U.S. visas in Nigeria and other countries.
“This reduction is not the result of any nation’s stance on third-country deportees, introduction of e-visa policies, or affiliations with groups like BRICS.
“The reduction in validity is part of an ongoing global review of the use of U.S. visas by other countries using technical and security benchmarks to safeguard U.S. immigration systems”
The statement did not provide further details on what the technical and security benchmarks involve, but said it remains committed to working closely with the Nigerian public and government officials to help them meet those criteria and benchmarks, to ensure safe, lawful, and mutually beneficial travel between the two nations.
(Editor: Paul Akhagbemhe)
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