U.S. universities urge international students, including Nigerians, to return before Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration due to potential travel bans. Anticipated restrictions could affect students from countries targeted during Trump’s first term. Nigerian students, the largest African group in U.S. universities, face uncertainty amid tightened immigration policies and evolving travel rules.
Amid heightened immigration concerns, universities in the United States are urging international students, including Nigerians, to return before Donald Trump’s January 20 inauguration. Institutions like Cornell University and the University of Southern California warned students abroad to resume early due to anticipated travel restrictions under the incoming administration.
Trump has pledged to reintroduce a travel ban, potentially targeting the same countries affected during his first term, including Nigeria, Iran, and Syria, while new additions like China and India are possible. Nigerian students, a significant group in U.S. universities, face uncertainty. The U.S. recently reported that Nigeria ranks as the seventh-largest source of international students globally, with over 20,000 enrollees, and the highest in Africa.
Cornell’s Office of Global Learning advised students to return by January 21, citing risks of a travel ban being implemented soon after Trump assumes office. Similarly, USC recommended its 17,000 international students arrive a week early.
This urgency coincides with tightened immigration policies in the UK, prompting many Nigerian students to consider the U.S. despite Trump’s hardline rhetoric. While Trump’s campaign promises included offering green cards to highly skilled foreign graduates, his administration also pledged aggressive vetting to exclude perceived radicals.
