NIGERIA / USA – 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 – 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 US 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.
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