By Oriontimes Foreign Desk| December 2025
The United States Department of State has announced a partial suspension of visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries, including Nigeria, effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST.
The decision follows Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.”
According to the directive, the suspension affects the issuance of nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas, as well as all immigrant visas, with limited exceptions.
The countries affected are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
However, the U.S. government outlined specific categories of applicants who will be exempted from the suspension. These include:
Immigrant visa applicants who are ethnic or religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
Dual nationals applying with passports from countries not subject to the suspension
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants who are U.S. government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D)
Participants in certain major international sporting events
Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs) of the United States
The U.S. Embassy noted that the policy is part of broader efforts to safeguard national security while maintaining limited humanitarian and strategic exemptions.
Further details are available via the U.S. Mission Nigeria official website.
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