The United States has placed partial travel restrictions on Nigeria and 14 other countries.
US President Donald Trump signed a new order limiting the issue of some immigrant and non-immigrant visas to people from these countries.
The US government said the decision was based on security concerns, including the activities of extremist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State in parts of Nigeria.
The affected visas include B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2 (visitor visas), and F, M, J visas (mostly for students and exchange programmes).
The US also pointed to visa overstay records, saying that some Nigerian visitors and students stayed in the country longer than allowed.
However, the restrictions do not apply to everyone. Exemptions were made for:
US permanent residents
People who already have valid visas
Diplomats, athletes, and some special cases
Individuals whose entry is considered important to US national interest
The order keeps full travel bans on 12 countries already considered high-risk and adds five more countries to the full restriction list: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria.
Earlier, on October 31, Trump again listed Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern”, accusing violent extremist groups of targeting Christians.
Trump also said the US may stop providing aid to Nigeria and repeated strong criticism of African-origin immigrants, similar to statements he made during his first term.
During his previous presidency, Trump introduced similar travel bans, which were later upheld by the US Supreme Court, saying the president has the authority to act in the interest of national security.
In June 2025, Trump restored and expanded those earlier travel restrictions after reviewing current global security and screening risks.
