US Embassy to Suspend Visa Services: What Nigerian Travelers Need to Know Before January 1

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has confirmed that visa issuance will be temporarily suspended beginning January 1, 2026.

This was confirmed in a post on the company's official X site late Monday night.

President Donald Trump's new immigration directive affects 19 nations, including Nigeria.

The tweet read: "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

• Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for U.S. government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D)

• Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities experiencing persecution in Iran

• Dual nationals holding a passport from a non-suspended nationality

• Participants in important athletic events

• Legal Permanent Residents (LPRs).