United States to enforce partial visa restrictions on Nigerians from January 2026
The United States government has announced that it will begin enforcing a partial suspension of visa issuance to Nigerian citizens from January 1, 2026, as part of broader measures aimed at strengthening border control and national security.
The decision, conveyed by the United States Mission in Nigeria, is anchored on Presidential Proclamation 10998, a policy directive titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.”
According to the mission, the new rules will take effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on the stipulated date.
Nigeria is one of 19 countries affected by the proclamation.
Others include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, and Zambia.
Under the directive, the U.S. government would place limits on the issuance of several categories of visas.
These include nonimmigrant visitor visas for business and tourism (B-1/B-2), as well as student and exchange-related visas under the F, M, and J classifications.
Certain immigrant visas would also be affected, although the suspension is not absolute.
U.S. authorities clarified that the restrictions were subject to clearly defined exemptions.
Among those excluded from the suspension are lawful permanent residents of the United States, eligible recipients of Special Immigrant Visas linked to U.S. government employment, and participants in selected major international sporting events.
Dual nationals applying with passports from countries not listed in the proclamation are also exempt.
In addition, specific humanitarian exceptions apply, such as immigrant visas issued to ethnic or religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.
The policy applies only to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date and who do not already possess a valid US visa.
Officials stressed that individuals holding valid visas issued before January 1, 2026, will not be affected by the proclamation, and no previously issued visas will be revoked as a result of the new measures.
Despite the restrictions, Nigerian applicants will still be allowed to submit visa applications and attend scheduled interviews.
However, the U.S. Mission cautioned that such applicants may ultimately be found ineligible for visa issuance or entry into the United States under the new rules.
The latest announcement follows a series of recent U.S. actions involving Nigeria. In October, Washington reinstated Nigeria on its list of countries of particular concern for religious freedom, citing ongoing insecurity and repeated attacks on Christian communities.
This was later followed by Nigeria’s inclusion on an updated US travel restriction list, which introduced partial limits on entry for Nigerian nationals.
U.S. officials maintain that the measures are part of a wider effort to address security concerns while preserving limited pathways for travel and migration under defined conditions.
