The House of Representatives has called on the United States Government to reverse its new visa regime for Nigerians, saying the move will undermine decades of diplomatic, economic, and people-to-people relations between the two countries.
In a motion of urgent public importance adopted on Tuesday, lawmakers condemned the July 8 decision by the U.S. Department of State to reduce the validity of non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerian citizens from a five-year multiple-entry to a three-month single-entry visa.
The move, the lawmakers said, was a unilateral policy shift that is “unfair, disruptive, and diplomatically insensitive.”
Leading the motion, Hon. Muhammad Muktar, on behalf of other co-sponsors – Hon. Jesse Okey-Joe Onuakalusi, Hon. Adefiranye Ayodele Festus, Hon. Atu Chimaobi Sam, and Hon. Akiba Bassey Ekpenyong – described the development as a “serious threat to the aspirations of millions of law-abiding Nigerians who travel to the U.S. for study, work, business and family visits.”
“This House must rise in defense of the ordinary Nigerian,” Muktar declared, noting that the new policy, if left unchallenged, could severely impact trade, educational advancement, and diaspora connections, especially at a time when Nigeria relies on over $1 billion in monthly remittances from its global citizens.
The House, after considering the motion, resolved to formally communicate its disapproval through diplomatic and legislative channels.
The lawmakers said the aim was to make a compelling case for the restoration of the previous five-year multiple-entry visa regime and to ensure that future immigration policy decisions reflect the spirit of partnership, not punishment.
