Gambiaj.com – (Banjul, The Gambia) – Over a dozen senior Gambian government officials have reportedly been denied visas by the United States to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York.
According to diplomatic sources, at least over a dozen high-ranking officials sought to travel for the Assembly’s High-level Week, which begins on September 23 and will feature speeches from heads of state and government leaders during the General Debate. However, the U.S. embassy in Banjul has reportedly refused their visa applications.
The move comes amid newly introduced, stricter U.S. visa policies targeting Gambian nationals.
In a recent advisory, the U.S. Embassy warned Gambians about overstaying their visas, stressing that consular officers now have full access to applicants’ immigration histories and will enforce penalties without exceptions.
“There is no such thing as an ‘honest mistake’ when it comes to visa compliance,” the embassy said in a statement, adding that visa holders alone bear responsibility for adhering to the terms of their stay.
As part of its latest measures, the embassy also announced that all applicants for student (F and M) and exchange visitor (J) visas must now set their social media accounts to “public” during the application process.
This directive took immediate effect in Banjul and is already being implemented across other U.S. embassies worldwide.
Many observers view the mass visa denials as part of a broader immigration crackdown under President Donald Trump, who has returned to the White House with a renewed focus on restricting migration.
This year’s UN General Assembly agenda includes, beyond the General Debate, a fourth high-level meeting on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health, a high-level meeting marking the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and another commemorating the 30th anniversary of the World Program of Action for Youth. Numerous side events are also scheduled to take place across New York City during the gathering.
