US Embassy Confirms Visa Restrictions For Nigerians Starting January 2026.

 

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has reminded citizens that visa restrictions affecting 19 countries, including Nigeria, are now in effect. 

The announcement was made on Wednesday through the embassy’s official social media account, noting that the restrictions began on January 1, 2026, following a presidential directive.

The restrictions follow Presidential Proclamation 10998, which aims to protect the security of the United States by limiting the entry of certain foreign nationals. 

The affected visas include B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F and M student visas, J exchange visitor visas, and all categories of immigrant visas.

The US government first revealed the partial suspension of visa issuance on December 19, 2025, for nationals of 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.

While the restrictions are now in place, there are exceptions.

Exemptions include immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran, dual nationals using passports from unaffected countries, Special Immigrant Visas for certain US government employees, participants in major international sports events, and lawful permanent residents of the United States.

The embassy encouraged Nigerians planning to apply for US visas to carefully check the rules and see if they qualify for any exemptions as the policy is enforced this year.