US warns Nigerians against overstaying visa permit, says it could lead to permanent travel ban

The United States diplomatic mission in Nigeria has cautioned travelers that exceeding authorized stay periods on U.S. visas may result in permanent inadmissibility and potential criminal charges.

In an official statement released Monday, mission officials emphasized that common justifications like “unintentional errors” would not be accepted as valid explanations for visa violations.

“If you overstay your US Visa, you could face a permanent ban on travel to the United States as well as criminal prosecution.

“Consular officers have full access to your immigration history and will know about past violations.

“There is no such thing as ‘honest mistake’,” the mission warned, adding it is the responsibility of individuals to use visas correctly.

Donald Trump, who took over power for the second term on January 20, 2025, vowed mass deportation of “criminal aliens” who illegally gained entry into the United States.

Already, mass raids have been carried out at homes, schools, workplaces, and shopping centres where undocumented immigrants were picked up and deported to places like India, Guatemala, Nigeria, among others.

Mixed reactions have trailed Trump’s immigration move with some commending his action while others begrudge it.

Last Friday, the United States said it was terminating the legal status of hundreds of thousands of immigrants, giving them weeks to leave the country. The order affected around 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who came to the United States under a scheme launched in October 2022 by Trump’s predecessor Joe Biden and expanded in January the following year.

Approximately 376,000 Nigerian immigrants live in the United States as of 2015, according to official sources. Nigeria is the largest source of African immigration to the United States.

The United States is one of the top destinations for migrating Nigerian youths and the middle class in search of greener pastures. Nigerians in America form a bulk of the total diaspora bulge which contributes more than $20bn annually to Nigeria’s economy, according to the 2023 data from the World Bank.