US To Halt Visa Services In Nigeria, 18 Others From January

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has confirmed that it will partially suspend visa issuance in Nigeria from January 1, 2026.

This was disclosed in a post on its official X handle on Monday night.

The embassy stated that the suspension will apply to non-immigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, as well as F, M and J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas, with limited exceptions.

The exemptions include immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran; dual nationals applying with a passport from a country not subject to the suspension; Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for US government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D); participants in certain major sporting events; and Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs).

The post read: “Effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998 on ‘Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States’, the Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries.”

Apart from Nigeria, the other affected countries are; Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga.

Others are; Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe for non-immigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F, M and J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas, with limited exceptions.