The United States is adopting a new policy for non-immigrant visa holders from Ethiopia, Cameroon and Nigeria, limiting them to single-entry and valid for only three months.
This decision stems from a policy change by the U.S. Department of State, which implemented a “reciprocity non-immigrant realignment visa policy” for non-immigrant visa applicants, the U.S. embassy in Addis Ababa disclosed.
The embassy in a statement stated that visas issued before July 8, 2025, will remain as they are.
It further stated that Ethiopians traveling to the U.S. for business and tourism receive visas categorized as “B1” and “B2.”
Under the previous system, travelers in this category received visas valid for two years.
Additionally, these visas allowed for multiple entries into the country until their expiration.
The newly announced policy, in addition to shortening the visa validity period to three months, has restricted multiple entries with a single visa.
Under the new policy, even if the visa’s validity period has not expired, travelers who leave the U.S. will not be able to re-enter with the same visa.
The U.S. Department of State announced further that it had shortened the visa validity period for various African countries to three months.
Among the countries where this decision was implemented are Nigeria and Ghana.
The U.S. government was preparing to impose travel restrictions on 36 additional countries, including Ethiopia, Egypt, Djibouti, and 33 other nations to a growing list of countries facing U.S. travel bans.
Twenty-five of these proposed additions are African nations. It was said that such decision was part of an expanded effort to tighten immigration and national security controls under the Trump administration.
MG/as/APA