THE United States has announced a new visa regime for Nigerians. The regime takes effect from Wednesday, March 1, 2023.

According to a statement on Monday, Nigerian tourist visa applicants are now eligible for five years visa as against two years under the previous visa regime.

This review follows Nigeria’s recent policy of visa reciprocity with the US.

The statement read, “Effective March 1, 2023, the U.S. Mission will increase visitor visa validity from 24 months to 60 months for Nigerians who want to enter the United States temporarily for business and/or tourism.

“The visa validity extension allows Nigerians to use the visa for 60 months to make short trips to the United States for tourism or business purposes before having to renew their visa.”

It added that the visa application fee, currently USD160 (N73,672) will not increase as a result of the increased visa validity.

Increasing visa validity is one of several initiatives taken by the United States to reduce visa appointment wait times in Nigeria.

The U.S. Mission says it will continue to offer No-Interview Visa Renewals to those who meet the eligibility criteria.