Effective worldwide on 29 August, Nigerian citizens will be required to pay extra as visa issuance fee.

The US Consulate announced this in a statement issued earlier today.

In a statement, the US Consulate in Nigeria explained that the extra cost will be applicable to only those whose visa requests were granted.“Effective worldwide on 29 August, Nigerian citizens will be required to pay a visa issuance fee, or reciprocity fee, for all approved applications for non-immigrant visas in B, F, H1B, I, L, and R visa classifications,” the statement read.

“The reciprocity fee will be charged in addition to the non-immigrant visa application fee, also known as the MRV fee, which all applicants pay at the time of application. Nigerian citizens whose applications for a non-immigrant visa are denied will not be charged the new reciprocity fee.

“Both reciprocity and MRV fees are non-refundable, and their amounts vary based on visa classification.”

The statement also explained that the increase in the fee is based on a similar treatment afforded to US citizens by foreign governments, in this case, the Nigerian government.

According to the statement, “Visa issuance fees are implemented under the principle of reciprocity: when a foreign government imposes additional visa fees on U.S. citizens, the United States will impose reciprocal fees on citizens of that country for similar types of visas,” the statement read.

“Nationals of a number of countries worldwide are currently required to pay this type of fee after their nonimmigrant visa application is approved.

“The total cost for a U.S. citizen to obtain a visa to Nigeria is currently higher than the total cost for a Nigerian to obtain a comparable visa to the United States. The new reciprocity fee for Nigerian citizens is meant to eliminate that cost difference.”