17th March, 2021
By Muhaimin Olowoporoku
The US consulate in Lagos has announced that it has contacted all Visa applicants who were denied during the Trump administration.
The consulate announced this in a tweet on its verified Twitter handle.
.@POTUS Biden ended the travel restriction that had suspended entry into the U.S. for some, based on visa type & nationality, including Nigeria. Our Consular office has contacted those affected & will prioritize processing. https://t.co/zfR1rrcLYr pic.twitter.com/BDjg7QEzJK
— U.S. Mission Nigeria (@USinNigeria) March 17, 2021
It said it is prioritising the processing of the pending cases and gradually restoring routine visa operations in accordance with COVID-19 safety immigration protocols.
President Joe Biden on his first day in office reversed the travel restriction imposed on certain categories of Nigerian visa applicants.
The Consulate dispelled media reports that all those denied visas on or after January 20, 2020, can re-apply.
It noted that the announcement only has to do with certain immigrant visa cases and does not apply to tourists, business, students and other nonimmigrant visas.
“Nonimmigrant visa applicants who were previously refused and would like to apply again will need to submit a new visa application (DS-160) and pay a new visa application processing fee.” The statement read.