When 34-year-old Grace Yakubu began saving for a United States visitor visa earlier this year, she knew the journey would not be easy. Like many Nigerians hoping to visit the United States, the Abuja-based entrepreneur had watched visa rules become increasingly restrictive, with reports of shorter validity periods, heightened scrutiny of applicants and growing uncertainty around approvals.
Still, she remained determined to visit relatives in Houston and had carefully put money aside over several months to cover the application costs. Now, re
