American embassies and consulates across the world have been directed to begin enforcing the policy immediately.
Amid faceoff with the Bola Tinubu government over genocide against Christians, the administration of United States President, Donald Trump, has reinstated tough visa policies against Nigerians and other foreign nationals.
Information released by the State Department revealed that the policy revives the controversial “public charge” rule, which targets applicants deemed likely to depend on public benefits while living in the United States.
A newly issued State Department cable, obtained by Fox News Digital, directed American embassies and consulates across the world to begin enforcing the policy immediately.
The cable restores a Trump-era standard that was relaxed under former President Joe Biden. It instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants considered likely to rely on government assistance.
Under the revived rule, visa applicants will be judged on multiple personal factors, including health, age, financial stability, English proficiency, and long-term medical needs.
The memo urges consular officers to adopt a holistic approach.
According to the guidance, “You must examine all aspects of the case, including the petition, visa application, medical report, affidavit of support, and any information uncovered in the course of screening and vetting.”
Older applicants may face stricter scrutiny. The cable notes that long-term institutional care “can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year and should be considered,” signalling that age and health will play major roles in visa decisions.
Policy Backed By Trump’s Executive Order
The reinstated rule follows an executive order signed by Trump titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidisation of Open Borders.”
The State Department memo says the order seeks to ensure “that no taxpayer-funded benefits go to unqualified aliens.”
The cable notes that the public charge determination is left entirely to each consular officer, who must conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting.”
It states, “There is no ‘bright line’ test. You must consider all aspects of the case and determine whether the applicant’s circumstances… suggest that he is more likely than not to become a public charge at any time.”
A State Department official told Fox News Digital, “For years, the American taxpayer was held hostage by the Biden administration’s disastrous open borders agenda… The Trump administration has brought an end to the era of mass immigration.”
While the Department of Homeland Security determines who is admitted into the country, the State Department controls visa issuance abroad.
Though both agencies operate under the same immigration laws, this new guidance gives American consular officers broad authority to reject applicants on public charge grounds.
Before now, the Biden administration’s 2022 rule limited the benefits considered in determining public charge status to direct cash assistance and long-term institutional care. It excluded social support programmes such as food stamps, Medicaid, WIC, and housing vouchers.
The Trump administration had expanded the definition in 2019 to include a wider range of benefits, though courts later blocked parts of that policy before Biden scrapped it in 2021.
This week’s cable marks a full return to the broader Trump-era interpretation and directs officers to “verify all supporting financial documents” submitted by applicants.
For many Nigerians seeking student, work, or family-based visas, the revived public charge rule could result in more denials and prolonged processing times, especially for elderly applicants or those with limited financial resources.
1SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER NOW
Support MATAZ ARISING’ journalism of integrity and credibility.
Good journalism ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government.
We ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour.
TEXT AD: To advertise here – Email ad@matazarising.com
LATEST POSTS
-
We need more Oloyedes in govt agencies
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas I didn’t get a chance to write a retrospective evaluation of Professor Is-haq Oloyede’s tenure as JAMB registrar when most people did after his departure in July because the time of his exit competed with more pressing national discourses that invited my intervention. But I have always been haunted by a gnawing…
-
Fani-Kayode demands justice as two more Nigerians killed in South Africa
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas Nigerian High Commissioner-designate to South Africa, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, has demanded urgent action by the South African Government to protect Nigerians and bring perpetrators of killings involving Nigerian nationals to justice. Fani-Kayode, reacting to the recent killings of Bishop Michael Taiwo Fakunle and James Uchechukwu Nwankwo in Johannesburg in a statement made…
-
INEC unveils final list of presidential candidates for 2027 election
MaTaZ ArIsInGDallas, Texas The Independent National Electoral Commission INEC has released the final list of candidates for the Presidential and National Assembly Elections scheduled for January 2027, featuring 18 political parties and their presidential and vice-presidential candidates. The list, signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, Secretary of the Commission, shows that the ruling All Progressives Congress APC…
