Joe Biden, the newly sworn-in American president, on Wednesday, issued an executive order reversing a travel ban imposed on Nigeria and citizens of some Muslim-majority countries by Donald Trump, his predecessor.
Trump’s travel ban was commonly known as the “Muslim ban” because the original version stemmed from anti-Muslim animus. The ban, which Trump authorized via executive order just days after his inauguration, evolved in response to court challenges and public outrage, but the intent to restrict immigration from nonwhite, Muslim, and low-income countries remained the same.
It was the first, and not the last, action of an administration that repeatedly categorized large swaths of non-citizens as dangerous because of their nationality, ethnicity, or religion. As a result, many were separated from their families.
Seyi Adewale, Chief Executive Officer – Mainstream Cargo Limited told BusinessDay that the reversal of Trump’s travel ban by Biden is a very good news that will impact the travel sector positively.
Adewale hinted that simply put, Nigerians can now freely visit their families residing in the U.S and vice versa without fear of discrimination, cancellation of valid visa, detention or outright entry refusal. This also applies to Nigerian businessmen.
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“There are approximately 400,000 Nigerians officially declared as Nigerian Residents or Immigrants. Consequently, this will further increase the formal and informal (trade) interactions between natives and non-natives of the two countries.
“In addition, intellectual acquisition through learning, training, conferences and other knowledge transfer opportunities would be enhanced for business and growth opportunities for Nigerians.
“Consider our blossoming entertainment and creative industries benefiting from this ‘unlabeling’. For the travel sector, the load factor of U.S destined airlines will significantly increase thereby improving route viability during this pandemic; travel agents can enjoy increased ticketing and other travels & tours services in and out of the U.S. One could imagine an increased FX supply to our economy as U.S residents can now freely visit their homeland without fear or trepidation,” he explained.
For Ikechi Uko, a travel and tourism expert, the new development will help more Nigerians get their long awaited green cards to formalise their citizenship in the US.
“We hope they will restore the drop box. The ban affected people processing their green cards and migration. Will the embassy reinstate the drop box?
“Since the US stopped the drop box in 2019, there has been a 30 percent drop in the number of people going to America. I hope Nigeria is being restored to where it was before because a lot of Nigerians love to travel to the US,” Uko explained.
IN 2019, U.S. Mission to Nigeria indefinitely suspended interview waivers for renewals, otherwise known as the “Dropbox” process. Visa applications were no longer accepted by DHL in Nigeria.
All applicants in Nigeria seeking a non-immigrant visa to the United States have since had to apply online, and have been required to appear in-person at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja or U.S. Consulate General in Lagos to submit their application for review.
Nigerians are however hoping that with the reversal of the travel ban, the drop box process will be restored.
