The U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has outlined key advice for Nigerian visa applicants on how to successfully pass visa interviews amid new restrictions, warning that violating visa terms, such as skipping classes without notifying school authorities, can lead to visa revocation.
He made these remarks during a visit to the minister of information and national Orientation, Mohammed Idris, on Friday in Abuja.
According to him, the primary responsibility of obtaining a student visa is not to violate its terms.
“Don’t stay beyond the amount of time you were admitted for when you arrived in the United States. If you overstayed, it could result in deportation and a lifetime ban on future travel to the U.S.
“It is also important to understand that when you come to the visa window to apply for a visa, you have to be as accurate as possible about the reason for your travel. How will you fund your travel in the U.S., and what are the requirements in your life that will make you come back to Nigeria?
“It is not a piece of paper that guarantees your admittance into the US; it is your understanding of how to fund your travel and reason for you as a Nigerian citizen to come back home,” he said.
Mr Mills said the U.S. wants to ensure sanity by ensuring that the few who break laws don’t do that in the future, as visas can be revoked and the holder deported if they break our laws.
“Student visa holders should know that they need to remain in the programme that underlines their visas; if you skip classes or leave your programme of study without informing the school, the student visa could be revoked,” Mr Mills stressed.
He said that the goal is to ensure that travel into Nigeria and the U.S. continues and would be done in a safe and secure way for both countries to continue.
Speaking, Mr Idris said the partnership between Nigeria and the U.S. was boosting the renewed hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu in many ways.
He said Nigeria will continue to have close collaboration and engagement with the U.S. for the benefit of the two nations.
“At the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, we will continue to engage with all our partners, including the U.S., to help foster better understanding, like the new visa laws.
“We will also continue to engage with our other international partners so that they can understand what the Nigerian government is doing to inform Nigerians for better understanding,” he said.
NAN
