Latest news with #VisaRestrictions
Russia Today
12-07-2025
- Business
- Russia Today
US pressuring Africa to accept deportees
Nigeria will not yield to pressure from the administration of US President Donald Trump to accept Venezuelan deportees, Foreign Minister Yusuf Tuggar has declared. The senior diplomat told Nigeria's Channels TV on Thursday that Washington's recent visa restrictions and tariff hikes are not reciprocal moves but coercive measures. 'You have to also bear in mind that the US is mounting considerable pressure on African countries to accept Venezuelans to be deported from the US, some straight out of prisons,' Tuggar said. He added that, 'It would be difficult for countries like Nigeria to accept Venezuelan prisoners. We have enough problems of our own. We already have 230 million people.' On Tuesday, the US Department of State announced changes to its 'reciprocal non-immigrant visa policy,' slashing the duration and tightening the conditions for entry into America for most travelers from countries including Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria. 'Effective immediately, most non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria will be single-entry visas with a three-month validity period,' according to a statement published by Washington's mission in Africa's most populous country. Trump also doubled down on his tariff threats during a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, warning that any country 'aligned' with 'anti-American policies' through BRICS would face levies. He said members of the economic bloc could pay an additional 10% on goods exported to the US. Nigeria, along with Uganda and seven other countries outside Africa, became a BRICS partner state in January 2025. Nigerian President Bola Tinubu attended the BRICS two-day summit in Brazil on July 6-7. On Trump's tariff threats, Tuggar remarked that they 'may not necessarily have to do with' the country's participation in the BRICS meeting. The minister, however, said Abuja has begun negotiations with Washington over the latest visa curbs targeting Nigerian nationals. Since returning to office in January, Trump has reinstated a series of hardline immigration measures, including the expedited removal of migrants deemed unfit to remain in the US to third countries. Last week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced it had deported eight 'barbaric criminal illegal aliens' to South Sudan. Earlier in April, the Trump administration revoked all visas issued to South Sudanese passport holders, accusing the landlocked nation of refusing to accept deported nationals. The conflict-torn African country denied the allegation, saying the White House acted based on an 'isolated incident' involving an individual who, according to Juba, was not a South Sudanese national.
South China Morning Post
01-06-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
US hostility to Chinese students prompts many parents to look elsewhere
The Trump administration's recent moves to further restrict Chinese students' access to US education are sending ripples of doubt through families in China, prompting many to reconsider their children's academic futures abroad. For some, the American dream is giving way to more pragmatic alternatives closer to home or in other Western nations, as the United States' unpredictable approach to international students makes them ponder the returns on investment in their children's overseas education. The latest wave of uncertainty crashed ashore last week when US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the US would revoke visas for Chinese students with ties to the Communist Party or those studying in 'critical fields'. That followed an abrupt suspension of student visa interviews worldwide as the administration considers stricter vetting measures, including screening of potential students' social media posts. US president Donald Trump added to parents' concerns on Wednesday, when he proposed cutting the proportion of international students at Harvard University from 30 per cent to 15 per cent, claiming that American students were losing opportunities. That remark came just days after the Department of Homeland Security attempted to block Harvard from enrolling international students, a move later halted by a federal judge. On Thursday, the Trump administration said in a court filing that it would not immediately terminate Harvard's ability to host international students, giving the university 30 days to explain why it should keep that ability.
