The United States government has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign truck drivers, citing threats to jobs and the safety of American citizens.
The announcement was made on Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who confirmed that the suspension takes immediate effect. According to him, the presence of a growing number of foreign truck drivers on American roads is creating risks while also reducing opportunities for U.S. truckers.
As part of the administration’s new measures, foreigners from countries with high visa overstay records or poor travel databases will now be required to pay a bond of between $5,000 and $15,000 before securing certain categories of U.S. visas.
The policy, introduced under a 12-month pilot programme, is aimed at ensuring travelers leave the country before their visas expire.
Additionally, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has instructed that all applicants must disclose their social media usernames from the past five years when completing visa forms.
The embassy warned that failure to provide such information could result in the rejection of applications and possible ineligibility for future visas.