The United States has temporarily stopped processing green card and citizenship applications submitted by Nigerians and nationals of other countries recently added to its expanded travel ban, according to a report by CBS News.
The suspension affects legal immigration cases managed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), targeting immigrants from selected African and Asian nations. Many of those affected are individuals who are already legally residing in the US and were seeking permanent residency or citizenship.
Earlier in December, the Trump administration instructed USCIS to pause all immigration petitions — including applications for permanent residency and naturalisation — from citizens of 19 countries placed under a travel ban order issued in June.
The directive followed a Thanksgiving week shooting in Washington, DC, where two National Guard soldiers were killed in an attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan national. In response, the administration also halted decisions on asylum cases and stopped processing all immigration and visa applications submitted by Afghans.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump widened the travel ban to include 20 additional countries, placing full entry restrictions on five and partial limitations on 15 others. A US official, who spoke to CBS News on Friday on condition of anonymity, confirmed that USCIS has now extended the suspension of immigration cases to individuals from the newly listed nations.
Affected countries:
US officials say the full travel ban currently applies to Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria. Countries facing partial entry restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
US Suspends Green Card, Citizenship Applications for Nigerians, Other Affected Countries
