Nigeria, Russia affected as US pauses visa processing for 75 countries

Visa applicants from Nigeria, Somalia, and Russia will now face fresh uncertainty as the United States has halted visa processing for 75 nations pending a review of its immigration screening rules.

The pause, ordered by the US State Department, is tied to stricter enforcement of the “public charge” provision of immigration law, which allows consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to depend on public welfare programmes.

The directive was contained in an internal memo first reported by Fox News.

Under the instruction, visa officers are to refuse applications using existing provisions of US immigration law while the review is ongoing.

The pause applies across multiple visa categories and will remain in force indefinitely until the reassessment is completed.

The policy shift is linked to the “public charge” rule, a long-standing element of US immigration law that allows authorities to deny visas to individuals considered likely to rely on public benefits.

In November 2025, the State Department issued guidance to embassies worldwide directing stricter enforcement of the rule.

That guidance expanded the factors consular officers must consider when assessing applicants, including age, health status, English proficiency, financial capacity, employment prospects and the potential need for long-term medical care.

Applicants deemed at risk of becoming dependent on public assistance can be denied entry.

Somalia has attracted particular attention from US authorities following a major fraud investigation in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered widespread abuse of taxpayer-funded welfare programmes.

Federal officials said many of those implicated were Somali nationals or Somali-Americans, a development that heightened scrutiny of visa applications linked to the country.

While Nigeria was not singled out in the memo, its inclusion places it among countries now subject to tougher migration controls at a time when many Nigerians apply annually for student, work, tourist and family-based visas to the US.

The State Department has not provided a timeline for the completion of the review or clarified whether humanitarian exemptions will apply.

The move is expected to deepen uncertainty for prospective travellers, students and families, particularly from developing countries, and could further strain diplomatic and people-to-people ties with affected nations.

Below is a list of countries affected by the new policy shift.

1. Afghanistan

2. Albania

Advertisement
3. Algeria

4. Antigua and Barbuda

5. Armenia

6. Azerbaijan

7. Bahamas

8. Bangladesh

9. Barbados

10. Belarus

11. Belize

12. Bhutan

13. Bosnia

14. Brazil

15. Burma

16. Cambodia

17. Cameroon

18. Cape Verde

19. Colombia

20. Cote d’Ivoire

21. Cuba

22. Democratic Republic of the Congo

23. Dominica

24. Egypt

25. Eritrea

26. Ethiopia

27. Fiji

28. Gambia

29. Georgia

30. Ghana

31. Grenada

32. Guatemala

33. Guinea

34. Haiti

35. Iran

36. Iraq

37. Jamaica

38. Jordan

39. Kazakhstan

40. Kosovo

41. Kuwait

42.Kyrgyzstan

43. Laos

44. Lebanon

45. Liberia

46. Libya

47. Macedonia

48. Moldova

49. Mongolia

50. Montenegro

51. Morocco

52. Nepal

53. Nicaragua

54. Nigeria

55. Pakistan

56. Republic of the Congo

57. Russia

58. Rwanda

59. Saint Kitts and Nevis

60. Saint Lucia

61. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

62. Senegal

63. Sierra Leone

64. Somalia

65. South Sudan

66. Sudan

67. Syria

68. Tanzania

69. Thailand

70. Togo

71. Tunisia

72. Uganda

73. Uruguay

74. Uzbekistan

75. Yemen

(THECABLE)