US freezes visa processing for Nigeria, 74 others over welfare dependence

By Nkiruka Nnorom, with agency reports

US State Department plans to pause visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, including Nigeria, who are likely to depend on welfare and public benefits.

The pause, which would begin January 21 and continue indefinitely until the department completes reassessment of immigrant visa processing, would affect applicants from across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Also affected by the plan are Nigeria, Somalia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Russia, Brazil and Thailand, among others.

President Donald Trump had early in the year, published a list of welfare dependent rates among immigrants, noting that about 33.3 per cent of Nigeria immigrants households received some form of public assistance.

A State Department memo, first seen by Fox News Digital, directed US embassies and consular officers to refuse visas under existing public charge law, while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.

According to the directive, older or overweight applicants can be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalisation.

“The state department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people.

“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,’’ State Department spokesperson, Tommy Piggott, said in a statement.

In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed consular officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called “public charge” provision of immigration law.

The guidance instructed consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors, including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.

While the public charge provision has existed for decades, enforcement has varied widely across administrations, with consular officers historically given broad discretion in applying the standard.

The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted consular officers to deem applicants inadmissible on public charge grounds, but President Donald Trump in 2019 expanded the definition to include a broader range of public benefits.

The post US freezes visa processing for Nigeria, 74 others over welfare dependence appeared first on Vanguard News.