Fear has gripped Nigerian students studying in the US following indications that they may be deported back home.
This follows comments by the country’s immigration that international students whose institutions are offering full online studies as a result of the covid19 pandemic need not remain in the country.
Nigerian government has not yet commented on the development neither has it made any plans known regarding the fate of Nigerian students in the face of the new US policy.
Some of the Nigerian students most affected are at a dilemma as some of them on scholarship likely to lose them.
For Chukwuma Amaefule who was admitted on Scholarship to a Masters program in Science and Environmental Studies at Ohio. University, he fears he may lose the funding.
This is because he will likely be forced to defer his admission and in the processing, not only lose his grant uty an entire academic session. Added to that, visa appointments, if and when flights resume may be a hindrance to meeting regular flight costs and worse still resumption dates.
According to him, “I know everybody is confused. My arrival deadline in Ohio University is August 12 but my earliest visa appointment date on the US Embassy website for Abuja is November 3, while Lagos has no fixed date at all.
“Also, expedited visa appointment is not available for now. Nigeria has not lifted the ban on international flights yet, as well as the major flights that can take travellers from Nigeria through Europe or the Middle East are not yet allowed to fly into the US.
Amaefule lamented that, “August 12 is just about 5 to 6 weeks away.
I feel choked up with these uncertainties such as my inability to secure student visa by now. the uncertainty of international flights and if at all flights resume now, will I be able to afford the high costs of air tickets associated with near-departure date-purchase costs, let alone now that covid19 crisis might lead the airlines to hike fares.”