US Suspends Green Card, Citizenship Processing For Nigerians Amid Expanded Travel Restrictions

The United States government has halted the processing of green card and citizenship applications from Nigerians following Nigeria’s inclusion in an expanded list of countries subject to US immigration restrictions under a directive by President Donald Trump.

According to CBS News, a US official confirmed that the Trump administration instructed the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to suspend the consideration of immigration petitions from nationals of countries newly placed under partial travel restrictions, citing national security concerns and ongoing reviews of vetting procedures.

The new directive follows a presidential proclamation issued earlier this week, which imposed further limitations on nationals of countries identified as having “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” deficiencies that, according to the White House, pose risks to US national security and public safety.

Nigeria is among 15 countries newly subjected to partial travel restrictions.

While the measure does not amount to a full entry ban, it temporarily suspends the processing of green card and citizenship applications submitted by affected nationals.

President Trump had previously designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” on October 31, citing allegations of widespread violence against Christian communities and broader concerns over governance, security, and cooperation with US authorities.

Under the proclamation, countries under a full travel ban include Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos, and Sierra Leone.

Nations under partial restrictions now include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The proclamation builds on earlier restrictions announced in June, which had already limited immigration processing for nationals of several countries.

Notably, Laos and Sierra Leone were upgraded from partial restrictions to full bans, prompting USCIS to extend the suspension of immigration benefits, including permanent residency and naturalization applications.

Previously affected nations such as Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen, and Venezuela remain subject to similar measures.

US officials stated that the suspension will remain in effect pending the outcome of a comprehensive review of screening and vetting procedures, though no timeline has been given.

The review aims to safeguard the integrity of the US immigration system.