The United States has stated that the ban recently placed on the issuance of immigrant visas to Nigerians in not permanent. The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard while speaking during a courtesy visit to the Minister for Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, stated that the ban could be reviewed if certain conditions were met. She clarified that the ban was placed as a result of deficiencies in information sharing between the United States and Nigeria, and dispelled insinuations that the ban was based on a character definition of Nigeria. She also underscored that Nigerians who are currently resident in the United States are not affected by the ban. The Ambassador added that the United States would like to see Nigeria working towards diversifying its economy and exploiting the potential in its entrepreneurial manpower.