Nigerian applicants for US visas will pay more, totaling millions of dollars due to a reciprocation price hike slammed by the United States government in response to a Visa hike the Buhari administration imposed on US Nigerian visa applicants.
The United States had requested the Nigerian government reduce its fees to be equal to the fees it charged Nigerians applying for US visas but after waiting 18 months with no price reduction from the Buhari administration the US reciprocated, hiking its Visa application fees to be equal to Nigeria’s.
Nigerians will suffer at both ends because most US visa applicants trying to come to Nigeria are actually Nigerian citizens who do not have their Nigerian passport. Many Nigerians do not have Nigerian passports because of the embassy hustle in most Nigerian embassies and High commissions abroad where the diplomats scam applicants, delay them from getting their passports after trying to exploit them of hundreds of dollars and euros.
Recently a Nigerian destroyed cars at the Nigerian High commission in London for their denial to give him his passport.
It is not known whether the Buhari administration in desperation to generate paltry funds from visa applicants, refused to reduce the fees or it simply forgot as it did in the recent P&ID court ruling where it failed to present a defense and lost the case thereby receiving a judgment of $9 billion against its oil reserves.
Worse yet, based on numbers, millions of Nigerians applying for US visas will be affected compared to the few Americans. It is noted that the fees are not for approved visa applications but for all applications.
The statement issued on Tuesday by the US Embassy in Nigeria said Nigerian citizens whose applications for a non-immigrant visa were denied will not be charged the new reciprocity fee. Both reciprocity and MRV fees are non-refundable, and their amounts vary based on visa classification.
“U.S. law requires U.S. visa fees and validity periods to be based on the treatment afforded to U.S. citizens by foreign governments, insofar as possible. Visa issuance fees are implemented under the principle of reciprocity: when a foreign government imposes additional visa fees on U.S. citizens, the United States will impose reciprocal fees on citizens of that country for similar types of visas. Nationals of a number of countries worldwide are currently required to pay this type of fee after their nonimmigrant visa application is approved,” it said.
Explaining further, the embassy noted, “The total cost for a U.S. citizen to obtain a visa to Nigeria is currently higher than the total cost for a Nigerian to obtain a comparable visa to the United States. The new reciprocity fee for Nigerian citizens is meant to eliminate that cost difference.”
Meanwhile, since early 2018, the US government has engaged the Nigerian government to request that it change the fees charged to US citizens for certain visa categories.
“After 18 months of review and consultations, the government of Nigeria has not changed its fee structure for US citizen visa applicants, requiring the US Department of State to enact new reciprocity fees in accordance with our visa laws.
“The reciprocity fee will be required for all Nigerian citizens worldwide, regardless of where they are applying for a nonimmigrant visa to the United States. The reciprocity fee is required for each visa that is issued, which means both adults and minors whose visa applications are approved will be charged the reciprocity fee.
“The fee can only be paid at the US Embassy or the US consulate general. The reciprocity fee cannot be paid at banks or any other location. The complete reciprocity fee schedule, organized by visa classification, can be found below,” the US government pointed out.
The Nigerian government is yet to comment.
The Nigerian government is yet to comment.
