The United States of America has removed the reciprocity fees from all Nigerian non-immigrant Visa categories. Effective from December 2, 2020, there are no reciprocity fees remaining on any visa class for Nigerian Nationals. However, the non-refundable $160 Machine Readable Visa (MRV) fee is still compulsory despite the removal of the reciprocity fee.
The reciprocity fee was a result of the hike in Visa application fees by the Nigerian government in August 2019. This fee structure affected US citizen visa applicants despite agreements made in early 2018. This led to a reciprocal increase in Visa Fees by the US government. The reduction of this fee by the Nigerian government led to this recent development. Visa fees for Nigerians have reduced from $180 to $160 which is a little over sixty thousand Naira.
This move has been described as a “positive development” by Nigeria’s minister for Foreign affairs and it is a shared sentiment.
Important Details about the Removal of the Reciprocity Fee
The removal of the reciprocity fee takes effect from December 3rd 2020 until further notice. This implies that Nigerian nationals would need to pay the mandatory MRV fees only. But, reciprocity fees paid before the 3rd of December are non-refundable.
Similarly, this is not an exemption from Visa fees for Nigerians. All fees are still valid when applying for a US visa.
Nigerians are calling the removal of the reciprocity fee by the US government a breakthrough especially in light of the recession. As a result, more immigrants are taking advantage of this and applying for a US visa as it is generally more affordable.
For more check of the list of countries, the US government imposed the New Visa bonds on. Also, check a recap of our webinar on dual citizenship and citizenship by investment. It is a webinar for people looking for other immigration options. We offer travel tips and insight into the world of citizenship by investment and dual citizenship.
