Nigeria has been impacted by a fresh expansion of United States immigration restrictions as Washington widens its suspension of citizenship and permanent residency applications to cover additional countries.
Gatekeepers News reports that the move follows a directive by President Donald Trump instructing US Citizenship and Immigration Services to halt the processing of immigration petitions, including naturalisation and Green Card requests, submitted by nationals of countries placed under US travel restrictions.
The suspension applies even to individuals already residing legally in the United States.
Earlier this year, Trump approved a proclamation enforcing a full travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, alongside tighter entry conditions for seven others.
The policy was further broadened this week with the addition of 20 more countries to the restrictions list, five of which face complete entry bans, while the remaining 15 are subject to partial limitations.
Nigeria was listed among the countries facing partial restrictions, alongside several African and Caribbean nations.
According to the White House, Nigeria’s inclusion was based on security concerns and visa compliance issues.
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.”
It also cited visa overstay data, noting that Nigeria recorded a 5.56 percent overstay rate for B-1/B-2 visas and an 11.90 percent rate for F, M, and J visas.
US officials confirmed that the expanded policy means immigration cases from newly added countries will now be placed on hold. Nations facing full bans under the latest update include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
The suspension also affects applicants from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria.
The freeze is expected to impact thousands of legal immigrants currently living in the US who are seeking to adjust their status or complete citizenship processes.
