Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka Announces Revocation of His U.S. Visa

Nigerian Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka has revealed that his U.S. visa was revoked and that he has been barred from entering the United States.

The 91-year-old Writer, who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986 said the USA Consulate had asked him to bring in his passport so that his visa could be formally cancelled in person due to new, undisclosed information.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Soyinka described the summons as a “rather curious love letter from an embassy” and advised organisations planning to invite him to the United States not to bother.

The Nobel Laureate previously held U.S. permanent residency but renounced it in 2016, symbolically tearing up his green card in protest against the election of President Donald Trump.

The green card is a permanent resident permit in the United States, highly valued by many African immigrants.

In July, the U.S. State Department announced significant changes to its non-immigrant visa policies for citizens of Nigeria and several other African nations.

Under the new policy, nearly all non-immigrant and non-diplomatic visas issued to citizens of Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, and Ghana will now be single-entry and valid for only three months reversing the previous five-year, multiple-entry arrangement.