The United States has announced the termination of legal status for over 500,000 immigrants, ordering them to leave the country within weeks, as President Donald Trump pushes forward with what he calls the largest deportation campaign in American history.

The sweeping directive, issued on Friday, affects approximately 532,000 Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who arrived under a programme launched by Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, in October 2022 and later expanded in January 2023.

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the affected immigrants will lose their legal protections 30 days after the order is published in the Federal Register on Tuesday. This means they must leave the United States by 24 April, unless they secure another immigration status permitting them to stay.

Welcome.US, an organisation that supports asylum seekers, has urged those impacted to “immediately” seek legal counsel regarding their options.

A Reversal of Biden’s Immigration Policy

The Processes for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans (CHNV) programme, introduced in January 2023, allowed up to 30,000 migrants per month from these nations to enter the United States for two years. The initiative was designed to offer a “safe and humane” alternative to the dangerous crossings at the US-Mexico border, which had seen a surge in arrivals.

However, the DHS reiterated on Friday that the programme was never meant to provide permanent residency.

“Parole is inherently temporary, and parole alone is not an underlying basis for obtaining any immigration status, nor does it constitute an admission to the United States,” the agency stated.

Mass Deportations Under Trump

Trump, who has made immigration control a cornerstone of his presidency, has vowed to crack down on migrants—particularly those from Latin America.

Last week, he invoked rare wartime legislation to deport more than 200 alleged members of a Venezuelan gang to El Salvador, a country that has controversially offered to imprison both migrants and U.S. citizens at a discounted rate.

The latest order signals Trump’s intent to follow through on his hardline immigration policies, raising concerns among human rights advocates about the humanitarian impact of such mass deportations.

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The Federal Government has announced that all visa applications will transition to an online system by March 1, 2025.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this on Monday during an interactive session hosted on ‘X Spaces’ by social influencer Dr. Segun Awosanya.

Dr. Tunji-Ojo revealed that the government has established a centralised visa approval centre aimed at streamlining the visa regime, enhancing national security, and curbing corruption.

“The visa approval centre is a significant achievement of this administration. We now have a centralised system to stem corruption, ensure national security, and unify the visa regime for uniformity. By March 1, all visa applications will be fully online to ensure proper vetting,” the minister stated.

Groundbreaking Data Infrastructure

The minister also highlighted the creation of a harmonised data centre, located at the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) within the headquarters of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in Sauka, Abuja.

According to Dr. Tunji-Ojo, the 8.3-petabyte data centre is the largest of its kind in Nigeria’s history, designed to address long-standing issues related to data management and compliance with the Data Protection Act.

“We inherited a Nigeria Immigration Service that had no functional data centre. Critical data of Nigerians was previously managed by private contractors, violating the Data Protection Act. To resolve this, we committed to a 1.4-petabyte centre but exceeded expectations, delivering an 8.3-petabyte centre—one of the largest globally,” he said.

The minister emphasized that the initiative would safeguard Nigeria’s security documents and eliminate irregularities in data handling. He described the development as a milestone in ensuring due process and fostering innovation in public service.

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This announcement, confirmed by the Minister of Information, Mohammed Idris, follows a briefing to State House correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting held on Monday.

The decision comes after a prolonged suspension of visa issuance to Nigerians by the UAE, which stemmed from a complex diplomatic rift between the two nations. This period of strained relations led to significant disruptions in travel and bilateral agreements, including the suspension of Emirates Airlines’ flights between Lagos and Dubai since 2022.

Emirates Airlines, a key player in air travel between Nigeria and the UAE, had suspended its operations citing challenges in repatriating funds from Nigeria amidst the diplomatic tensions.

However, in a separate announcement earlier this year, Emirates Airlines disclosed plans to resume daily flights between Lagos and Dubai from October 1, 2024, signaling a gradual thawing of relations between the two countries.

The recent agreement to lift visa restrictions underscores efforts to normalise diplomatic relations and enhance bilateral cooperation.

Historically, issues surrounding the Bilateral Air Services Agreement (BASA) and visa regulations have been contentious points between Nigeria and the UAE, impacting the movement of Nigerian migrants and tourists to one of the region’s preferred destinations.

Notably, efforts towards reconciliation gained momentum following a pivotal meeting in September 2023 between President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi. The meeting aimed to address longstanding grievances and pave the way for renewed engagement and cooperation between the two nations.

With the resumption of visa issuance effective immediately, Nigerian travelers can once again explore opportunities in the UAE, reaffirming a commitment to diplomatic dialogue and mutual benefit between both nations.

The post Nigeria, UAE Agree to Resume Visa Issuance first appeared on MegaIcon Magazine.

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The country has been closed to most foreigners since last March to stem the spread of coronavirus which it has largely brought under control at home, stranding many foreigners with jobs and family inside China overseas.

But Chinese embassies in several countries have issued notices saying the country will open visa applications to select people who have taken a China-made jab.

The Chinese Embassy in the US said in a statement dated Monday that it would begin to process “visa applicants inoculated with Chinese Covid-19 vaccines”.

This would apply from this week to those visiting the Chinese mainland for work resumption, business travel, or for “humanitarian needs”, such as reuniting with family members.

Beijing is driving forward its inoculation plan for its vast domestic population with four domestically produced vaccines approved so far. But it has yet to approve any foreign-made jabs.

China has also shipped its vaccines overseas as it works to blunt foreign criticism of the initial spread of the virus from its shores.

The embassy statement said this applied to those who had either had two doses of the vaccine or a single-dose at least 14 days before applying for the visa.

Chinese embassies in other countries including India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Italy and Sri Lanka have published similar statements.

Those arriving in China will still have to face a gruelling quarantine of up to three weeks.

China’s vaccines have been rolled out in several countries around the world, including Turkey, Indonesia and Cambodia.

The Philippines received 600,000 vaccine doses from China two weeks ago, kickstarting its inoculation drive.

But they are not readily available everywhere, including in India or Sri Lanka.

And Beijing has struggled to gain international trust for its vaccine candidates, hindered by a lack of transparency on test results.

But Chinese companies are still set to export nearly 400 million doses of home-grown vaccines overseas, state media has reported.

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The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, gave the government position at an interactive session with media executives in Abuja on Thursday.

Mohammed said that the government was aware of the move by the former Vice President to lobby the U.S. to lift the visa ban imposed on him.

He said while the U.S. has the prerogative of whom to issue visa, it should be mindful of the timing, in order not to give the impression that Atiku has been endorsed by the U.S. government.

“We understand and appreciate the fact that it is the prerogative of the U.S. to grant a visa to anyone who applies.

“However, we want the U.S. to be neutral and be wary of taking any decision that will give the impression that they are favouring or endorsing one candidate over the other

“Impression must not be created that the U.S. government is endorsing one particular candidate over the other,’’ he said.

The minister recalled that for years, there has been a kind of congressional bi-partisan investigation on corruption against certain individuals which had made it difficult for Atiku to secure a U.S. visa.

“I am sure you will all recall the Jefferson’s case and the cold 90,000 U.S. dollar in fridge.

“We are not unaware that Atiku has engaged the services of some lobbyists to persuade the U.S. to issue visa to him.

“Our position is that if the former Vice President is seeking the U.S. visa we have no problem about it.

“However, we want the U.S. government not to create the impression that it is endorsing one candidate over the other,’’ he said.

Speaking on security, the minister insisted that despite the recent set back brought about by attacks on the military, the Boko Haram insurgents had been largely decimated.

He recalled that when they took over in 2015, Boko Haram was active in 10 states including the FCT where they chose where and when to attack

The minister said that 20 of the 27 Local Government Areas in Borno were under the insurgents where they hoisted their flags collected taxes and deposed the Emirs.

He said since they took over, no inch of Nigeria territory is under the control of the insurgents who now operated in the fringes –Lake Chad Island- to launch guerilla attacks.

“What happened was a set-back and it is not enough to say that we are losing the war against the Boko Haram.

“We want to appreciate the gallant military who are sacrificing day and night and those who have lost their lives to protect Nigeria’s sovereignty,’’ he said.

The Minister added that the visit of President Muhammadu Buhari to Borno and his ongoing visit to Chad were indications of renewed vigour to end the war.

Mohammed also denied the allegations that the government was closing media space against the opposition.

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The embassy stated this in an updated information on its website Thursday.

It read: “We regret the inconvenience this has caused to our applicants in Abuja and hope to resume operations after the Eid-el-Kabir holidays.

”Please monitor the Facebook and Webpage of the U.S. Embassy for the next status update of consular operations in Abuja.”

The embassy had in a statement on Wednesday, announced temporary suspension of its regular services for visas and American Citizen Services in Abuja.

It, however, noted that other offices within the Embassy remained open.

The embassy stressed that consular functions at the U.S. Consulate in Lagos were not affected with the development.

The mission encouraged applicants to contact the Consular Office in Lagos for immediate emergency travel.

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