Are you planning a trip to the United States and require a visa? Then know this, the U.S has announced sweeping changes to its non-immigrant visa policy, cutting the duration and conditions under which travellers from Cameroon can enter the country.
The U.S State Department has said nearly all non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens from Cameroon will now be single-entry and valid for only three months. The measure also applies to three other African countries including Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria.
In a statement on Thursday, July 9, the U.S Embassy in Yaounde said the new rule is in keeping with the U.S. Government’s global efforts to tighten U.S. immigration requirements.
“Cameroonian citizens who successfully apply for a tourist, business, exchange, or student visa are now issued a single-entry, three-month validity visa”, the diplomatic institution said in the statement shared with our newsroom.
The new rules NewsWatch understands, are a sharp shift from previous visa terms, which often allowed for multiple entries over two years or more.
Yaounde had not commented on the development at the time of this report. But according to information on the website of the Cameroon Embassy in Wasington, U.S citizens can get visas for up to a year in the country within a maximum of three working days.
The good news however is that Cameroonians applying for U.S visas will pay a significantly reduced issuance fee of about FCFA 20,000 ($35) down from FCFA 120,000 ($215), and this also, “to be paid if the visa is approved” unlike previously when proof of payment was part of the requirements.
The embassy said in the statement that temporary work visas now also have a single-entry with three-month validity also at a reduced cost.
A U.S. visa permits the visa holder to travel to the United States up until the visa’s expiration date. But the diplomatic institution said the traveler’s authorized duration of stay in the United States is distinct from the visa validity and is determined by U.S. Customs and Border Patrol – that is, the U.S. immigration authorities travelers encounter upon arrival at port of entry, equivalent of the Frontier Police or emi-immigration police in Cameroon.
“In addition, the Embassy is suspending indefinitely the nonimmigrant visa interview waiver program that allowed some visa applicants who had had prior visas to apply without coming into the Embassy for an interview”, it said maintaining that henceforth, all nonimmigrant visa applicants applying in Cameroon are now required to appear for an in-person interview at the U.S. Embassy in Yaounde.
The U.S Embassy in Yaounde said further that it remains committed to facilitating legitimate travel to the United States while maintaining the integrity of its visa adjudication and issuance process.
First published in NewsWatch newspaper No 213 of Monday, July 14, 2025.
