NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

By Yomi Kazeem

As part of new visa restrictions by the Trump administration, the US will no longer issue immigrant visas to Nigerian applicants.

While Nigeria is not the only country affected by the “ban” (Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan and Myanmar will also face similar restrictions while Tanzania and Sudan have been excluded from the United States’ popular visa lottery scheme), it is, by far, the most high profile country affected by what the Trump administration describes as a penalty for unsatisfactory security and information sharing standards.

While focused only on immigrant visas, the net impact of the newly issued restrictions is far-reaching, from splitting families to hobbling employment opportunities. But there is also the general sentiment that there will likely be increased scrutiny on non-immigrant visa applications by Nigerians—as anecdotal data already suggests.

Photo courtesy of Commonwealth Secretariat.