According to The Wall Street Journal, the US presidency is implementing stricter immigration measures to keep out people from countries that tend to overstay their short-term tourist and business visas.
Overstays are classified in the 2017 Entry/Exit Overstay Report by the US Department of Homeland Security as people who remain in the United States beyond their time of admission, people whose departure remains undocumented, people who illegally switch to another immigration status, and people who extend their period of admission.
The Department of Homeland Security has made known that the countries that will be most affected by the stricter immigration measures are mostly African countries. These countries include Nigeria, Djibouti, Chad, Somalia, Liberia and Eritrea.
Nigeria’s high number of overstays
The DHS report for 2017 shows that 19,676 Nigerians overstayed their visas. The number showed a sharp increase in overstays from the previous year (2016) where 12, 046 Nigerians overstayed their visas.
The Trump administration wants to end the scourge
This overstay trend had made the US presidency sit up and take notice. The Trump administration is looking into shortening visa durations and making it harder for Nigerians to get a US visa. There are talks to completely bar people from countries with the worst overstay records, but the ban has not been put in place yet.
Hogan Gidley, a White House Spokesman, has confirmed the administration’s desire to make sure no one flouts the United State immigration rules. “It is well-known that the administration is working to ensure faithful implementation of immigration welfare rules to protect American taxpayers,” Gidley said.
There have been concerns from many quarters that the strict immigration measures affect mostly people from Africa more than nationals of Western countries. Germany, Italy, the UK, and France also have a high number of overstays, but these countries will not be affected by stricter immigration measures.
Also Read: Tips for mums travelling with multiple kids
