The United States Embassy in Nigeria says effective from
Thursday, August 29th this year, Nigerians applying for tourism, student
and business visas will pay an additional $110 (N40, 700) to collect their visa
if they are granted. This is asides the N59, 200 visa applicatuon fee.
According to a statement released by the Embassy today
August 27th, applicants seeking the L1 Visa (work permit) will pay an extra
N112, 100 if given visas while those applying for H4 Visa (dependency/spousal)
will pay an extra N66, 600. The US Embassy adopted the rate of
N370/$1 for Nigerians which is higher than both the official rate and the black
market rate.
The Embassy says the increment was done based on
reciprocity. It lamented that Americans seeking to come into Nigeria were
being asked to pay exorbitant VISA fees by the Nigerian government and after
all efforts to make the Federal government reduce the fee proved abortive,
they took the decision to increase theirs.
The new Visa fees come less than four months
after the US cancelled the drop box system for Nigerian visa applicants which
used to allow Nigerians who have a travel history to the US to apply for visas
without going for interviews at the embassy.
The statement reads
“Effective worldwide on August 29, Nigerian citizens will be
required to pay a visa issuance fee, or reciprocity fee, for all approved
applications for non-immigrant visas in B, F, H1B, I, L, and R visa
classifications.
“The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the
non-immigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all
applicants pay at the time of application. Nigerian citizens whose
applications for a non-immigrant 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.
“US law requires US visa fees and validity periods to be
based on the treatment afforded to US 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 US
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 non-immigrant visa application is
approved.
“The total cost for a US 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 US government has engaged the
Nigerian government to request that the Nigerian government change the fees
charged to US citizens for certain visa categories. After 18 months of
review and consultations, the government of Nigeria has not changed its fee
structure for U.S. citizen visa applicants, requiring the US 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 non-immigrant
visa to the United States. 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 US Embassy or the US Consulate General. The reciprocity fee cannot be
paid at banks or any other location.”
The complete reciprocity fee schedule, organized by visa
classification, can be found below.
|
Class |
Reciprocity Fee
|
|
|
|
B1
|
$110
|
|
|
B2
|
$110
|
|
|
B1/B2
|
$110
|
|
|
F1
F2
|
$110
$110
|
|
|
H1B
H4
|
$180
$180
|
|
|
I
|
$210
|
|
|
L1
L2
|
$303
$303
|
|
|
R1
R2
|
$80
$80
|
The
reciprocity tables displayed on travel.state.gov will be updated to reflect the
changes above.
