Again, US warns Nigerian students, says skipping classes can lead to visa revocation

Richard Mills, the United States ambassador to Nigeria, says students who skip classes without informing the school authority risk visa revocation.

Mills spoke in Abuja on Friday when he visited Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation.

The ambassador stressed that the primary responsibility of obtaining a student visa is not to violate its terms.

“Don’t stay beyond the amount of time you were admitted when you arrived in the United States,” he said.

“If you overstay, it could result in deportation and a lifetime ban on future travel to the US.

“It is also important to understand that when you come to the visa window to apply for a visa, you have to be as accurate as possible about the reason for your travel.

“How will you fund your travel in the US, and what are the requirements in your life that will make you come back to Nigeria?

“It’s not a piece of paper that guarantees your admittance into the US; it is your understanding of how to fund your travel and reason for you as a Nigerian citizen to come back home.”

Mills said the strict guidelines aim to enforce sanity in the US and to ensure that lawbreakers do not get a chance to repeat their actions.

“Student visa holders should know that they need to remain in the programme that underlines their visas; if you skip classes or leave your programme of study without informing the school, the student visa could be revoked,” he said.

Mills noted that the goal is to ensure safe continuity of travels between Nigeria and the US.

Responding, the minister of information and national orientation said Nigeria will continue to have close collaboration with the US for better engagement and enforcement of the new visa rules.

He noted that engagements would also extend to other international partners for them to understand Nigeria’s efforts at improving external relations.

The ambassador’s comments come on the heels of a warning by the US embassy on Monday that Nigerian students who drop out of school or abandon their programme of study may have their visas revoked.