The United States government has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign truck drivers, citing threats to jobs and safety of American citizens.
Naijaonpoint reports that the announcement was made on Thursday by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who confirmed that the suspension takes immediate effect.
According to him, the presence of a growing number of foreign truck drivers on American roads is creating risks while also reducing opportunities for U.S. truckers.
“Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers.
“The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers,” Mr Rubio said.
The development comes under President Donald Trump’s renewed clampdown on immigration since his return to office in January 2025.
As part of the administration’s new measures, foreigners from countries with high visa overstay records or poor travel databases will now be required to pay a bond of between $5,000 and $15,000 before securing certain categories of U.S. visas.
The policy, introduced under a 12-month pilot programme, is aimed at ensuring travelers leave the country before their visas expire.
In addition, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria has directed that all applicants must disclose their social media usernames from the last five years when filling out visa forms.
The embassy warned that failure to provide such information could lead to rejection of applications and possible ineligibility for future visas.
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