Nigeria Added to List of Countries Facing New US Visa Restrictions

Nigeria has been added to a list of countries facing new US Visa restrictions, according to a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump.

The restrictions stem from a new Presidential Proclamation signed on December 16, 2025, which expands and strengthens existing entry limitations based on countries with persistent deficiencies in security screening, vetting, and information-sharing.

It adds partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries: Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

For Nigeria the White House said:

“Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties. According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 percent.”

While the Proclamation does not impose a full ban, it narrows or restricts certain classes of visa applications. The most notable change affects family-based immigrant visas.

The proclamation explicitly narrows “broad family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry demonstrated fraud risks, while preserving case-by-case waivers.”

This means that processing for certain relatives of U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents may become much more stringent and difficult to obtain.

This new security-focused restriction follows an earlier change in mid-2025 where the U.S. reduced the validity of most non-immigrant visas (tourist, student, exchange) for Nigerians to three months and single-entry only, citing a policy of reciprocity.

The proclamation includes exceptions to ensure that the restrictions do not impede essential travel or the U.S. national interest: Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card holders), existing visa holders, certain visa categories (e.g., athletes, diplomats), and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests (case-by-case waivers).

The Proclamation continues the full restrictions and entry limitations of nationals from the original 12 high-risk countries established under Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

It adds full restrictions and entry limitations on 5 additional countries based on recent analysis: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.

It also adds full restrictions and entry limitations on individuals holding Palestinian-Authority-issued travel documents.

It imposes full restrictions and entry limitations on 2 countries that were previously subject to partial restrictions: Laos and Sierra Leone.

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