U.S. suspends visa processing in military-led Niger Republic
This comes amid the Trump-led administration’s clampdown on immigration.
The U.S. government has suspended, until further notice, all visa services at its embassy in the junta-led Niger Republic.
On Saturday, Reuters reported that this pause in visa processing in Niger will linger until Washington addresses “concerns with the Government of Niger.”
Citing a U.S. State Department cable, Reuters reported that “The Trump Administration is focused on protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.”
It added, “The diplomatic cable also instructed consular officers in other visa processing posts to apply ‘heightened scrutiny’ when assessing non-immigrant visa applications for Nigerien nationals, whose overstay rates it said were 8 percent for visitor visas and 27 per cent for student and exchange visas.”
This comes amid the Trump-led administration’s clampdown on immigration. Earlier in June, Mr Trump signed a travel ban blocking Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen from America.
Last September, the U.S. withdrew its military from Niger following the Niger junta’s directive.
