Nigerians will now pay more to get the United States’ visa, the US Consulate in Nigeria has announced in a statement issued on Thursday.
The statement states that the extra cost will be applicable to only those whose visa requests were granted.
The increment is unconnected with the list of cyber criminals recently released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), which has more than 70 Nigerians.
It was gathered that the latest development is in response to what Nigeria charges US citizens to obtain Nigerian Visa.
“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.”
The statement says the new cost will come into effect on Thursday, August 29, “Effective worldwide on 29 August, 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 statement read.
“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.”
The consulate explained that the US law requires visa fees and validity periods to be based on the treatment afforded to US citizens by foreign governments.
“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,” the statement read.
“Nationals of a number of countries worldwide are currently required to pay this type of fee after their nonimmigrant visa application is approved.