The United States government has announced an indefinite suspension of visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, including Nigeria, in a move that signals a further tightening of Washington’s immigration policy.
The directive, contained in a US State Department memo obtained on Wednesday, takes effect from January 21, 2026. It instructs US embassies and consulates worldwide to halt visa issuance for nationals of the affected countries while a comprehensive review of screening, vetting and immigration procedures is conducted.
According to the memo, visa applications from citizens of the listed countries are to be refused under existing legal provisions until the reassessment is concluded. No timeline was given for the completion of the review.
A State Department spokesperson, speaking to Fox News, said the suspension is aimed at strengthening enforcement of long-standing rules designed to prevent the admission of foreign nationals deemed likely to become a “public charge” a term used to describe individuals who may depend on US government welfare or public benefits after entry.
“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” the spokesperson said.
The decision comes amid a broader immigration crackdown under US President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January 2025. In November 2025, Trump pledged to “permanently pause” migration from what he described as “Third World countries” following a high-profile security incident near the White House.
Several African countries are affected by the suspension, including Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, raising concerns about the policy’s implications for travel, education, business and family reunification across the continent.
Other affected regions include parts of the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean.
The full list of countries impacted by the suspension includes Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
The announcement is expected to trigger diplomatic responses from affected countries and renew debate over the global impact of US immigration restrictions, particularly on African nations with strong educational, economic and diaspora ties to the United States.
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