Barely 24 hours after the US authorities increased the cost of visa application for Nigerians under a tit for tat policy, FG has announced a reduction in the amount payable by citizens of the U.S seeking Nigerian visas.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, said the FG has approved a reduction in visa charges payable by United States citizens from $180 to $150.
In a statement, the US consulate in Nigeria had said America was “reciprocating” the extra visa fee the Nigerian government charges its citizens. The consulate had explained that the extra cost would be applicable to only those whose visa requests were granted.
It had said while America charges Nigerians $160 for visa application, its citizens seeking Nigerian visa were paying $110 extra. The U.S. State Department said the visa fees were increased after 18 months of consultation with the Nigerian government, to make its visa fees for Americans proportional, failed.
“The attention of the Ministry of Interior has been drawn to the introduction of reciprocity of Visa Fees by the United States of America,” Aregbesola was quoted as saying.
The statement reads further: “The ministry acknowledges that there were engagements with the United States Embassy on the issue and in the aftermath, a Committee was set up to conduct due diligence in line with the Ministry’s extant policy on the reciprocity of Visa fees.
“The Committee had concluded its assignment and submitted a Report but the issuance of authorization for its recommendations was delayed due to transition processes in the Ministry at the policy level.
“The Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has approved the decrease of Visa charges payable by US citizens in line with reciprocity policy as recommended by the Committee.
“Accordingly, the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Muhammad Babandede, has been directed to implement the decrease in Nigeria’s Visa charges to US Citizens with effect from Thursday, 29th August, 2019”.
The US government had said that the new reciprocity fee regime for Nigerian citizens was intended to eliminate the difference in cost between what was charged by Nigeria and US.
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