The House of Representatives has urged the United States Government to reconsider its recent decision to shorten visa validity for Nigerians, warning that such a move could strain longstanding diplomatic and socio-economic ties between both 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.
According to Daily Trust, the House of Representatives, after deliberating on the motion, decided to register its objection to the new U.S. visa policy through both diplomatic dialogue and legislative engagement. Lawmakers emphasized the urgency of taking formal steps to address the issue at the international level.
They maintained that the ultimate goal is to advocate for the reinstatement of the former five-year multiple-entry visa arrangement and to ensure that any future visa policy adjustments by the U.S. consider mutual respect and cooperation between both nations, rather than imposing restrictive measures.
