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The US Mission in Nigeria has announced that the United States will partially suspend visa issuance for nationals of Nigeria and 18 other countries beginning January 1, 2026, under a new presidential proclamation aimed at protecting US national security.
The suspension, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2026, follows Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” by the Department of State.
In a statement published on its website on Monday, the U.S. government said visa issuance would be partially suspended for nationals of 19 countries: 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.
It added that the suspension applies to non-immigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, as well as F, M and J student and exchange visitor visas. It also covers all immigrant visas, with limited exceptions.
According to the U.S. Mission, exemptions will be made for immigrant visas for ethnic and 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 sporting events and lawful permanent residents of the United States.
However, the U.S. Mission stressed that the proclamation 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,” the mission said.
“No visas issued before January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation.”
The mission also noted that 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.
