American husband laments as new travel restrictions bar Nigerian wife

An American travel content creator, Chris Joondeph, has lamented the cost of the newly signed United States presidential travel ban, stating that American citizens and their foreign spouses find themselves caught in a sudden legal deadlock.

Joondeph, married to a Nigerian national, took to Instagram on Wednesday to sound the alarm over the Proclamation signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday.

Recall that Trump signed a Proclamation further restricting entry to the United States for nationals from countries deemed high-risk due to “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that threaten U.S. national security and public safety.

Among the 15 additional countries newly subject to partial restrictions is Nigeria.

In the post and an accompanying video, Joondeph revealed that his wife, Adenike, whom he married a year and a half ago, now has “no path” to enter the United States.

He noted that they have been waiting for a visa interview since May 2024, a process that already required them to live apart.

Joondeph said, “It is now extremely unlikely that my wife will be able to visit the United States anytime soon. I’ve been married to my beautiful wife, Adenike, for the past year and a half. We have been waiting for her visa interview to come to the United States since May 2024, and with the new presidential travel ban, she currently has no path to come to the United States.

“This means that, as it stands as of yesterday evening, as a US citizen, I cannot bring my spouse to the United States. Not even to visit.”

Joondeph emphasised that Adenike, whom he has known for five years, has never met the majority of his relatives or set foot in his home country.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We have known each other for five years, and my wife has never been able to come to the United States, and now it is essentially impossible. My wife has never met the majority of my relatives, and she has never set foot in my home country of the United States,” he said.

“A lot of Americans do not understand how difficult it is to bring a spouse to the United States legally. The process takes years of living apart while waiting for visa interviews,” he added.

The content creator said that while previous travel bans primarily focused on non-immigrant visas, the new Proclamation expands the restrictions to include immigrant visas for spouses and children.

“As of the presidential proclamation yesterday, the U.S. will no longer issue immigrant visas to Nigerian spouses. There are a total of 35 countries, all listed below, affected by this ban. Previously, earlier travel bans had only focused on non-immigrant visas.

“These are things like student visas, business visas, and tourist visas. People petitioning for their spouses or children were exempt, and this is no longer the case.

“I made a lot of videos explaining this process because I feel that it’s important to call attention to the hundreds of thousands of people in my same situation waiting endlessly to be reunited with their spouse,” he said.

ValidViewNetwork reports that the Proclamation continues full restrictions and entry limitations on nationals from the original 12 high-risk countries under Proclamation 10949; it also adds full restrictions and entry limitations on five additional countries.

While some nationals remain under partial restrictions, the Proclamation adds partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries, which include Nigeria.

The fact sheet reportedly notes that “exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests” are included.

It also states that family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry “demonstrated fraud risks” have been narrowed, while case-by-case waivers remain possible.

The White House defended the Proclamation on Tuesday, emphasising it is necessary “to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.”