World

U.S. to expand travel ban to Nigeria, three other African countries

Wednesday, January 22, 2020 at 8:42 AM by Jerrywright Ukwu

- The Trump administration is eyeing seven countries for new immigration restrictions and Nigeria is listed

- The list could include several countries that were covered in the first iteration of Trump’s ban

- Nigeria accounted for more than a quarter of non-immigrant US visas issued to Africans in 2018

A report by the Wall Street Journal indicates that the United States of America government plans to add seven countries to a group of nations subject to travel restrictions, including Nigeria.

Other countries on the list are Tanzania, Eritrea, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar and Sudan.

According to the report, the countries wouldn’t necessarily face blanket bans on travel to the U.S., but could have restrictions placed on specific types of visas, such as business or visitor visas.

Some countries could be banned from participating in the diversity visa lottery program, which awards green cards to people in countries with low levels of immigration to the U.S.

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U.S president, Donald Trump had called for an end to the program, saying it lets undesirable people into America, proposing to rejig the visa system toward skilled workers instead.

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The Trump administration also said its policy restricting travel is necessary to prevent potential acts of terrorism, as countries on the list don’t adequately vet their travellers to the U.S.

In the 2018 fiscal year, 24% of Eritreans on business or visitor visas overstayed their permits, along with 15% of Nigerians and 12% of people from Sudan. Those compared with a total overstay rate in the category of 1.9%.

Trump once said that if Nigerians come to the U.S., they will never “go back to their huts” in Africa, according to The New York Times.

Meanwhile, following Iran's recent missiles attacks on military bases belonging to the United States in Iraq, Trump has authorised new sanctions against the Middle East nation.