Nigerians travelling to the United States will, from tomorrow, pay more to procure American nonimmigrant visas of all classifications as part of deliberate policy to eliminate the difference between the costs of obtaining Nigerian visas by US citizens.
This revelation is contained in a statement issued by the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the US Consulate General, Lagos, and made available to The Tide, yesterday.
The Tide gathered that the new policy puts to rest claims in some quarters that the US Embassy was denying Nigerians visas to travel to the United States.
The statement reads, “Effective worldwide on 29 August, Nigerian citizens will be required to pay a visa issuance fee, or reciprocity fee, for all approved applications for nonimmigrant visas in B, F, H1B, I, L, and R visa classifications.
“The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the nonimmigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all applicants pay at the time of application.
“Nigerian citizens whose applications for a nonimmigrant visa are 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”.
According to the statement, “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 also explained that. “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.
“Since early 2018, the U.S. government has engaged the Nigerian government to request that the Nigerian government change the fees charged to U.S. citizens for certain visa categories.
“After eighteen months of review and consultations, the government of Nigeria has not changed its fee structure for U.S. citizen visa applicants, requiring the U.S. 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,” it stated.
It further noted that, “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 U.S. Embassy or the U.S. Consulate General. The reciprocity fee cannot be paid at banks or any other location.”
The US Mission in Nigeria said that “the complete reciprocity fee schedule, organized by visa classification, include Class B1 with Reciprocity Fee of $110; B2 $110; B1/B2 $110; F1 $110; F2 $110; H1B $180; H4 $180; I $210; L1 $303; L2 $303; R1 $80 and R2 $80”, respectively.
It added that, “The reciprocity tables displayed on travel.state.gov will be updated to reflect the changes above”.

Nelson Chukwudi