- Safiu Kehinde
The United States is set to commence the partial suspension of nonimmigrant visa issuance to Nigeria and 18 other countries from the 1st of January 2026.
This was announced in a statement issued on the official website of the U.S Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria on Monday.
According to the statement, the partial visa issuance suspension will take effect in compliance with President Donald Trump’s proclamation barring nationals of the affected countries in said effort to protect the security of the United States.
Other countries included in the list are Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin Republic, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Venezuela, and Gabon.
Also included in the list are The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The nonimmigrant visa categories to be partial suspended by the US governmeny include B-1/B-2 visitor visa and F,, M, J student and exchange visitor visas.
However, the US made exemptions for participants in certain major sporting events, immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran, dual nationals applying with a passport of a nationality not subject to a suspension, special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for U.S. government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D).
Also exempted from the visa issuance suspension and lawful permanent residents.
The statemend read; “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 – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions for:
- Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
- Dual nationals applying with a passport of a nationality not subject to a suspension
- Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for U.S. government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D)
- Participants in certain major sporting events
- Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs)
“Presidential Proclamation 10998 only applies to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date AND do not hold a valid visa on the effective date (January 1, 2026 at 12:01 a.m. EST).
“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.
“Visa applicants who are subject to Presidential Proclamation 10998 may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States.”