By Frank Ulom
WASHINGTON, DC (CONVERSEER) – United States 47th President, Donald Trump, has signed Proclamation 10998, leading the State Department to halt B-1/B-2 visitor visas, student visas, and immigrant visas for nationals of Nigeria, Angola, Cuba, Venezuela, and 15 others due to vetting gaps, high overstay rates, and security risks like Boko Haram activities.
Existing valid visas remain unaffected, and exceptions cover permanent residents, diplomats, Olympians, and case-by-case waivers.
According to a statement by the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria on Monday, the policy aims to push these nations toward better information-sharing, with reactions in Nigeria mixing frustration over education and family travel disruptions alongside calls for stronger home ties.
Read the full statement below:
“Effective January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, in line with Presidential Proclamation 10998 on “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” the Department of State is partially suspending visa issuance to nationals of 19 countries – Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe – for nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, J student and exchange visitor visas, and all immigrant visas with limited exceptions for:
• Immigrant visas for ethnic and religious minorities facing persecution in Iran
• Dual nationals applying with a passport of a nationality not subject to a suspension
• Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for U.S. government employees under 8 U.S.C. 1101(a)(27)(D)
• Participants in certain major sporting events
• Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs)
Presidential Proclamation 10998 only applies to foreign nationals who are outside the United States on the effective date AND do not hold a valid visa on the effective date (January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST).
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Foreign nationals, even those outside the United States, who hold valid visas as of the effective date are not subject to Presidential Proclamation 10998. No visas issued before January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, have been or will be revoked pursuant to the Proclamation.
Visa applicants who are subject to Presidential Proclamation 10998 may still submit visa applications and schedule interviews, but they may be ineligible for visa issuance or admission to the United States.”
