United States Mission in Nigeria has warned travellers that overstaying visas could attract a permanent ban and criminal prosecution.
In a statement on Monday, the mission said excuses such as “honest mistake” are not tenable.
The immigration authorities clarified that consular officers can access an individual’s full immigration history, making it nearly impossible to avoid penalties for past violations.
“If you overstay your US Visa, you could face a permanent ban on travel to the United States as well as criminal prosecution.
“Consular officers have full access to your immigration history and will know about past violations.
“There is no such thing as ‘honest mistake,” the mission warned, adding it is the responsibility of individuals to use visas correctly” US Mission stated.
It is learnt that those who overstay their visa for more than 180 days but less than a year may face a three-year re-entry ban.
If the overstay exceeds one year, the penalty could be a 10-year ban.
Repeat offenders or those with serious violations risk a permanent lifetime ban.
Since Trump returned as US President, America has become stricter with its immigration policies.
On February 16, 2025, the Federal Government raised serious concerns about the deportation of its nationals from the United States, urging Washington to adhere to international conventions and ensure a dignified repatriation process.
During a meeting with the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, emphasised the emotional and financial strain these deportations are placing on Nigerians in the US and their families back home.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu highlighted that “about 201 Nigerians are currently detained in US immigration centers, with around 85 cleared for deportation,” adding that the government was advocating for a more humane approach to the process.
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“With the new US administration in place, we expect commitments to ensure that, if repatriation occurs, it will be done with dignity,” she said.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu further pointed out that many Nigerians in the US play a crucial role in supporting their families back home through vital remittances, which help sustain their livelihoods and fund their education.
She noted that these deportations, especially for those with no violent criminal history, should not be sudden or traumatic.
“We are asking as a country whether they will be given ample time to handle their assets or will they just be bundled into planes and repatriated?” she questioned.
However, last Friday, the United States said it was terminating the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, giving them weeks to leave the country. The order affected around 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who came to the United States under a scheme launched in October 2022 by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden and expanded in January the following year.
Approximately 376,000 Nigerian immigrants live in the United States as of 2015, according to official sources. Nigeria is the largest source of African immigration to the United States.
The United States is one of the top destinations for migrating Nigerian youths and the middle class in search of greener pastures. Nigerians in America form a bulk of the total diaspora bulge which contributes more than $20bn annually to Nigeria’s economy, according to the 2023 data from the World Bank.
