Dare Babalola
The United States government has announced it will partially suspend the issuance of certain visas to Nigerian nationals from January 1, 2026, citing border and national security concerns in a new presidential proclamation
The US Mission in Nigeria on Monday announced the restriction kicks in at 12:01 am EST on January 1, 2026, following Presidential Proclamation 10998 aimed at protecting US security.
The proclamation, titled, “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” revealed that Nigeria is among 19 countries affected by the measure.
Others include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe
The proclamation provides for a partial suspension of visa issuance covering nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, as well as F, M and J student and exchange visitor visas. It also applies to immigrant visas, with limited exceptions.
The US Mission clarified that the suspension does not apply to everyone.
Exemptions apply to immigrant visas for persecuted Iranian minorities, dual nationals using unaffected-country passports, and Special Immigrant Visas for eligible US govt workers.
Other exempted categories include lawful permanent residents of the United States and participants in certain major international sporting events.
The US government stressed that the proclamation only applies to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date and who do not hold a valid US visa as of January 1, 2026.
“Foreign nationals, even those outside the United States, who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to Presidential Proclamation 10998. No visas issued before January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation,” the statement read.
Visa applicants from affected countries may continue to submit applications and attend interviews.
However, the US Mission noted that such applicants “may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States” under the new rules.
Recent weeks have seen a series of restrictive measures by the United States that have heightened concerns among Nigerians seeking to travel, study or migrate to the country.
In October, Washington added Nigeria back to its list of countries accused of violating religious freedom, a move that officials linked to persistent insecurity and attacks on Christian communities.
This was followed by Nigeria’s inclusion on a revised US travel ban list, imposing partial entry restrictions on Nigerian nationals.
The US has also tightened immigration and visa policies affecting Nigerians.
Earlier this year, the US government reduced the validity of most non-immigrant visas issued to Nigerians to single-entry visas with a three-month duration.
Recently, reports emerged that certain immigrant visas, like green cards, might be suspended under a new proclamation. However, US authorities clarified that lawful permanent residents and valid visa holders issued before Jan 1, 2026 are exempt and won’t lose their status.
