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| - AN X user, @nigeriastories, has claimed that the United States has excluded the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and others from visa-free entry for 2025.
“BREAKING NEWS: USA excludes UK, Nigeria and others from visa-free entry for 2025,” the post read.
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The post has garnered over 820,000 views, plus more than 6,000 likes, over 500 comments and over 1,000 reposts as of March 4, 2025.
CLAIM
United States has excluded the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and others from visa-free entry for 2025.
THE FINDINGS
Checks by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is FALSE, as Nigeria was never included in the U.S. visa waiver programme, though United Kingdom (UK) has always been on the list.
The U.S. Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) allows citizens of other countries to travel to the United States without a visa for up to 90 days.
A Reuters report published in January 2025, revealed that Romania was added to the eligible countries by the U.S. as part of a plan to strengthen diplomatic ties between the two countries after meeting stringent security conditions. According to the report, Romania is the 43rd country to join the programme.
To verify the claim, our fact-checker checked the website of the U.S. DEPARTMENT of STATE — BUREAU of CONSULAR AFFAIRS, an agency in charge of U.S. immigration laws and affairs. A report on the website shows that the United Kingdom remains on this VWP list and has not been excluded from the programme.
Although, there are recent alterations on the Visa Waiver Programme that affects both UK and Taiwan. For the United Kingdom, the VWP applies to individuals with an unrestricted right of permanent abode in both countries.
It added that “to be eligible to travel under the VWP, British citizens must have the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man.”
For Taiwan, it stated: “With respect to all references to “country” or “countries” on this page, it should be noted that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Pub. L. No. 96-8, Section 4(b)(1), provides that “[w]henever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with respect to Taiwan.” 22 U.S.C. § 3303(b)(1). Accordingly, all references to “country” or “countries” in the Visa Waiver Program authorizing legislation, Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1187, are read to include Taiwan. This is consistent with the United States’ one-China policy, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.”
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Since the U.S. Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) was established in 1986 as a pilot programme to facilitate tourism and business travel, Nigeria has never been included.
However, Romania was added to the most recent updates to the programme, but there are no official reports or announcements indicating the removal of the United Kingdom or any other participating country.
THE VERDICT
The claim that the United States has excluded the United Kingdom, Nigeria, and others from visa-free entry for 2025 is FALSE. Media reports show that Nigeria has never made the list while the UK and Taiwan that are purportedly stripped off remain on the list of eligible countries but with additional conditions.
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