The United States (US) Mission in Nigeria has clarified that Nigerian students and exchange visitors holding valid visas will not be affected by the partial visa suspension under Presidential Proclamation 10998.
In a Monday statement shared on X, the embassy stated that students carrying the valid F1 and J1 visas can contribute to learning, research, and innovation at U.S. colleges and institutions.
The statement reads, “Nigerian students and exchange participants with current. Tly valid F1 and J1 visas are not affected by Presidential Proclamation 10998. Students and exchange participants with visas can continue to contribute to learning, research, and innovation at U.S. colleges and institutions.”
The clarification comes ahead of the January 1, 2026, implementation of Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.”
Last year, the President of the United States (US), Donald Trump, approved an expanded entry restriction on foreign nationals from 24 countries, citing “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that threaten the country’s national security and public safety.
The new immigration policy was published on the White House official website in a document titled “President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.”
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According to the proclamation document cited by TVC News, the new policy imposes full suspension on eight countries and partial suspension on 16 others, affecting immigrants and nonimmigrants on B-1, B-2, B-1/B-2, F, M, and J visas.
The administration described the move as necessary to “prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose” and to enforce U.S. immigration laws while advancing national security objectives.
Trump defended the expanded entry restriction, saying, “During my first Administration, I restricted the entry of certain foreign nationals into the United States to prevent national security and public safety threats from reaching our borders. The Supreme Court upheld these restrictions.
FULL LIST: Nigeria, 23 Other Countries Affected By Donald Trump US Entry Restriction
