The disclaimer came amidst widespread claims that the U.S. government had created a new type of work VISA for Nigerian health workers, engineers, marine workers, civil servants, business administrators, accountants, and lecturers.
In a tweet on Thursday, the embassy debunked a statement circulating on social media.
“Scammers and fraudsters are circulating a fake ‘press release’ claiming to offer a new type of work visa to Nigerian citizens aged 40-55.
“It’s the same old scam, but in fresh packaging – don’t become a victim,” the U.S. embassy tweeted.
As seen by Peoples Gazette, the ‘press statement’ requested interested candidates to submit their scanned documents and passport to the consular section through an email address.
However, the email and the phone numbers are different from the U.S. embassy’s official email and lines.
In addition, the ‘statement’ requested applicants to pay $250 for an English proficiency test to be taken in the U.S. upon arrival.
The embassy urged Nigerians to visit its official website for credible information on immigration to the U.S.
The Gazette had reported earlier this month that the U.S. government contacted rejected immigrants and prioritized processing their pending visa applications affected by the travel restrictions imposed by former President Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump had imposed travel restrictions on 13 countries, including Nigeria under the Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983, later suspended by incumbent President Joe Biden, who signed a presidential proclamation, ‘Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States,’ in January, to reverse the restrictions.
