A fresh travel advisory from the United States embassy has reminded visitors into the country that their visa’s expiry date does not define how long they are permitted to remain in the US.
The clarification, posted via the embassy’s official X account on Friday, explained that duration of stay in the United States is decided by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers upon arrival and not by the visa’s expiration.
Travellers are therefore urged to check the I-94 form for their authorised stay duration.
The I-94 form, usually available at https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/search/compliance-search, shows the official length of admission issued by CBP.
These advisory forms part of the embassy’s effort to reduce instances of overstaying, a violation that can trigger deportation or jeopardise future visa applications.
The embassy notes that the reminder follows its recent implementation of a revised visa policy that cuts down the validity period of most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas for Nigerian applicants to just three months, limited to a single entry.
The changes, announced earlier this month, apply to several other countries as well, the embassy states.
Though the embassy linked the adjustment to a broader review of visa practices across nations using technical and security benchmarks, it also referenced Nigeria’s non-compliance in accepting deportees from the United States as one contributing factor.
The US said it would continue to emphasise strict compliance with immigration rules in the course of aligning global travel procedures with its domestic security priorities.
