US Embassy in Nigeria Revokes Visas, Leaving Nigerians Stranded

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has reportedly started quietly revoking valid visas previously issued to Nigerian citizens, causing major disruptions for professionals, entrepreneurs, frequent travellers, and families, while imposing heavy financial and logistical burdens.

Olufemi Soneye, former Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd, raised the alarm in an article titled ‘The Quiet Revocation: Why Is the U.S. Silently Cancelling Nigerians’ Visas?’

According to Soneye, several affected individuals recently received official letters from the embassy instructing them to submit their passports at the Lagos or Abuja consulates. Once submitted, their visas were cancelled without explanation. The notices cited Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122, vaguely stating that “new information became available after the visa was issued,” but offered no further details, evidence, or appeal process.

Those affected include a prominent journalist, the head of a federal government agency scheduled to deliver an international address, and an Abuja-based entrepreneur with a flawless travel record. Others are professionals and frequent travellers who rely on visas for education, family reunions, medical treatment, and essential business activities.

Many victims were forced to cancel overseas trips on short notice, refund tickets, and explain their absence to partners. In some cases, travellers only discovered the cancellations at airports, with a few briefly detained by immigration officials before being turned back.

Despite the widespread impact, neither the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria nor Nigerian authorities have issued a public statement on the wave of cancellations, leaving affected citizens in uncertainty.

Those impacted insist they have never overstayed visas, violated immigration rules, or posed security threats. The sudden revocations have raised fears of a targeted tightening of U.S. visa policy against Nigerians.

Analysts point out that applicants from high-migration countries, including Nigeria, have long faced heightened scrutiny. Policy documents from previous U.S. administrations encouraged consular officers to apply stricter review standards to certain nationalities, suggesting that the current wave of cancellations may be a continuation of that practice.