YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (ABS News) — The U.S. Embassy in Cameroon has warned that obtaining a temporary, or nonimmigrant, visa for the purpose of later seeking asylum in the United States constitutes fraud and can result in visa revocation, in a post on X tagged #VisaFraud and #SeekingAsylum.
The warning aligns Cameroon with a broader global messaging campaign the State Department has rolled out in recent weeks as part of a sweeping crackdown on what officials describe as the misuse of short-term visas to gain long-term entry into the United States. Similar warnings have been issued by U.S. embassies in the Philippines and other countries in recent weeks, using nearly identical language about fraud and revocation.
The embassy messaging comes as the State Department, in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security, prepares what officials have described as the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history. According to State Department documents obtained by The Associated Press, the department is expected to revoke B1 and B2 visas — the standard categories for business and tourism travel — issued between 2016 and 2026 to holders who have sought or are currently seeking asylum. Officials have put the number of visas potentially affected at up to 200,000.
“We are coordinating with DHS to identify and revoke the nonimmigrant visas of foreigners who have come to the United States claiming to be short-term visitors, but then file for asylum to stay here permanently,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said of the broader initiative.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has separately criticized what he described as applicants using tourist and business visas as a backdoor route to asylum, signaling the issue is a priority for the department’s current leadership.
U.S. officials have said the revocations would not necessarily result in immediate deportation for affected individuals. Most people with asylum cases already pending would instead be reclassified, losing their status as business or tourism travelers, according to officials who described the process to the AP on condition of anonymity because the revocations were not yet final at the time of that reporting.
For Cameroonian applicants specifically, the embassy’s warning underscores standing U.S. policy that nonimmigrant visas — including tourist, business and student categories — require applicants to demonstrate an intent to return to their home country. Misrepresenting that intent during the application process, U.S. officials say, can carry serious consequences, including a lifetime ban from entering the United States, in addition to visa revocation and possible criminal prosecution.
The embassy did not specify how many Cameroonian visa holders, if any, are affected by the ongoing review, and it was not possible to independently confirm additional details of the post beyond its publicly stated content.
