U.S Bars Nigerians, Others From Special Immigration Status

Nigerians and citizens of some other countries are no longer allowed special immigration status that permits them to live in the United States while processing their permanent or prolonged stay in the country.

This comes as the U.S Government has imposed stiff sanctions barring foreigners from accessing the Adjustment of Status (AOS) and Extension of Status (EOS) provisions that allow persons who are seeking permanent residence in the U.S to adjust or extend their stay in the country.

Immigration officials in the U.S now reportedly write “NO AOS” or “NO EOS” on passports of nonimmigrants as soon as they arrive in the country. This implies that beneficiaries of such visas cannot extend or adjust their visa status during their stay in the U.S.

The alleged development is in line with President Donald Trump’s bid to make U.S visa laws stricter for Nigerians and citizens of other countries.

Prior to now, depending on your category of visa, nonimmigrants could be given up to a year at first or usually six months visas to stay in the U.S. Such nonimmigrants may now apply for extensions of stay in six-month increments to enable them continue to live in the country legally.

But the Trump administration has recently been considering new measures aimed at cracking down on countries whose citizens have a high rate of overstaying their visas in the U.S

Countries who allegedly fall in this category and whose citizens are being targeted include Nigeria, Chad, Eritrea, Liberia, Somalia, and Djibouti.

A 2017 report by the United States Department of Homeland Security had put the total figure of Nigerians who overstayed their visas in the country in that year at 19,676.