iDeemlawfulA United States government official has disclosed that the Trump administration has instructed the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to pause the processing of green card and citizenship applications submitted by Nigerians and citizens of other countries newly included in the expanded US “travel ban,” due to national security considerations and an ongoing assessment of immigration screening procedures, CBS News reported on Thursday.
This development follows a proclamation signed by President Donald Trump on Tuesday, which further limited entry into the United States for nationals of countries classified as high-risk over what was described as “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that pose risks to US national security and public safety.
Nigeria is among the 15 additional countries newly placed under partial restrictions.
Earlier, on October 31, Trump had designated Nigeria as a “country of particular concern” after allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.
Below is the complete list of countries reported to be impacted by the suspension of green card and citizenship applications:
Countries affected
Full travel ban
Burkina Faso
Mali
Niger
South Sudan
Syria
Laos
Sierra Leone
Partial travel restrictions
Angola
Antigua and Barbuda
Benin
Côte d’Ivoire
Dominica
Gabon
Gambia
Malawi
Mauritania
Nigeria
Senegal
Tanzania
Tonga
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Afghanistan
Previously affected countries
Burundi
Chad
Cuba
Republic of the Congo
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Haiti
Iran
Libya
Myanmar
Somalia
Sudan
Togo
Turkmenistan
Yemen
Venezuela
The most recent suspension builds on earlier measures announced in June, which imposed partial immigration processing limits on nationals of several countries.
Under the latest proclamation, Laos and Sierra Leone that were previously under partial restrictions now elevated to a full entry ban, leading USCIS to broaden the halt on immigration petitions, including applications for green cards and citizenship.