FULL LIST: Nigeria, Affected As US Pauses Visa Processing For 75 Countries

Visa applications from Nigeria, Ghana and at least 73 other countries will no longer be processed by United States embassies and consulates as Washington moves to tighten immigration screening over concerns about welfare dependence. The US Department of State has directed consular officers to pause visa processing for the affected countries from January 21, pending a broad reassessment of screening and vetting procedures. 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