Universities to Nigerians students studying in US: Return before Trump takes office

As the President-elect of the United States, Donald Trump, prepares to return to the White House, universities across the United States are warning international students, including Nigerians, to be aware of possible visa restrictions under the new administration come January 2025.

The universities offered the advice in different statements on their websites and a video by a lady who appears to be a counsellor.

The unidentified lady counsellor advised Nigerians and other international students to return early from winter break amid expectations of stricter regulations or another travel ban by the incoming President Trump, who will officially be sworn in for his second term as US president on January 20, 2025.

His upcoming inauguration in January has sparked concern, particularly among colleges and universities, regarding potential changes to US immigration policies.

It could be recalled that many international students were stranded abroad when Trump imposed a travel ban at the start of his first administration.

Some of the actions Trump has promised to take include a travel ban on people from predominantly Muslim countries and the revocation of student visas of “radical anti-American and antisemitic foreigners”.

“During the first four years of the Trump administration, a travel ban was imposed that impacted multiple countries, and resulted in many/some international students encountering difficulties re-entering the US to resume classes,” the University of California-Berkeley recently posted on its International website.

“Whether such policies will be implemented again and/or blocked by the courts or via other means is unclear. Out of an abundance of caution, we are recommending a return to the United States prior to January 20.”

In a statement, Cornell University’s Office of Global Learning also issued a similar warning to students of a travel ban that “is likely to go into effect soon after inauguration”.

“The ban is likely to include citizens of the countries targeted in the first Trump administration: Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Myanmar, Sudan, Tanzania, Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, Yemen and Somalia,” the statement read in part.

It added that students, faculty and staff from these countries should be back in the US before the term begins on January 21.

In the same vein, Columbia University, the centre of the pro-Palestine protests that swept educational institutions across the USA in the spring, also sent out a warning.

“As we do with administrative changes at all levels of government, Columbia is gathering relevant information on the incoming administration,” university spokeswoman Samantha Slater said in an email to the Columbia Spectator.

On its part, the University of Southern California urged its over 17,000 international students to return at least one week before Trump’s White House return.

The warnings come as many prospective Nigerian international students are trooping to the US amid tightened immigration restrictions in the United Kingdom, a popular choice for international study.