The United States government has temporarily halted legal immigration applications from Nigerians and other nationals recently added to its expanded travel ban, CBC News reports.
The suspension primarily affects immigrants from selected African and Asian countries and intensifies the Trump administration’s crackdown on legal migration, which was expanded earlier this month. Many of those affected are already in the US seeking status adjustments or citizenship.
Earlier in December, the administration ordered US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to freeze all immigration petitions—including requests for permanent residency and naturalisation—by nationals of the 19 countries initially restricted under the travel ban. The directive followed a Thanksgiving-week shooting in Washington, D.C., allegedly carried out by an Afghan national, prompting tighter immigration controls.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump extended the travel ban to 20 additional countries, imposing full entry restrictions on five and partial restrictions on 15 more.
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A US official, speaking anonymously to CBS News, confirmed that the USCIS suspension now applies to nationals of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, as well as those from Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Previously, the freeze affected nationals from Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Laos, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen, and Venezuela. The latest proclamation imposes full bans on Laos and Sierra Leone, which had faced partial restrictions.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow, in a social media statement, said the agency is reviewing individuals identified in the expanded proclamation to “restore law and order in our nation’s immigration system.”
Trump has defended the broad restrictions as necessary for national security and to ensure thorough vetting of individuals from affected countries.
The move has provoked widespread criticism in Nigeria. Observers describe the ban as unfair and disproportionate, questioning the security rationale cited by US officials. Former Senator Shehu Sani condemned the measure, saying it signals that migrants from developing nations are “no longer welcome.” Analysts warn of potential diplomatic and economic consequences for Nigeria.
