The United States of America has told Nigerians not to overstay their visas, saying that it could hurt their prospects of traveling for business or school.
The warning came while President Donald Trump’s government was still cracking down on immigration and putting travel restrictions in place.
The US Mission in Nigeria posted on X yesterday that making sure people follow the rules protects other responsible visitors. They also asked Nigerians to report visa fraud to AbujaFPU@state.gov or LagosFPU@state.gov.
The Mission noted, “Nigerian travelers who stay too long on their visas can hurt the chances of their fellow citizens.”
Strengthening compliance helps keep students, business travelers, and families who travel responsibly safe. Please let AbujaFPU@state.gov or LagosFPU@state.gov know if you know of any visa fraud.
The US government had been taking steps to stop people from overstaying their visas, especially people from countries with high rates of overstays, like Nigeria.
As part of the crackdown, it stopped giving out some types of visas to Nigerians, including as B-1/B-2 visiting visas, F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas, and immigrant visas. On January 1, 2026, this restriction went into effect.
The decision was based on security concerns, problems with checking travelers’ backgrounds, and a high number of visa overstays. For example, Nigeria had a 5.56 percent overstay rate for B-1/B-2 visas and an 11.90 percent overstay rate for F, M, and J visas.
The ban only applies to foreign nationals who are not in the US and do not have a valid visa on the date it goes into effect. Nigerians who already have valid visas that were issued before January 1, 2026, would not be affected. Strengthening compliance helps keep students, business travelers, and families who travel responsibly safe. Please let us know at AbujaFPU@state.gov or LagosFPU@state.gov if you know of any visa fraud.
The US government had been taking steps to stop people from overstaying their visas, especially people from nations with high rates of overstaying, like Nigeria.
As part of the crackdown, it stopped giving out some types of visas to Nigerians, including as B-1/B-2 visiting visas, F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas, and immigrant visas. On January 1, 2026, this limit went into effect.
The decision was based on security concerns, problems in checking travelers, and high rates of visa overstays. For example, Nigeria had a 5.56 percent overstay rate for B-1/B-2 visas and an 11.90 percent overstay rate for F, M, and J visas.
The restriction only applies to foreign nationals who are not in the US on the effective date and do not have a valid visa. Nigerians who already have valid visas that were issued before January 1, 2026, would not be affected.
About the Author
