Nigerians travelling between the United States and Nigeria are facing a changing visa process after both governments introduced new measures within months of each other, creating additional steps for tourists, students, business travellers and members of the diaspora.
The latest change comes from the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), which has ended its outsourcing agreement with Online Integrated Solution (OIS Services), the company that managed Nigeria’s visa application and biometric collection centres across the United States.
In a statement signed by NIS spokesperson DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, the agency announced that OIS “has officially been disengaged from the collection and submission of visa applications on behalf of the Nigerian Mission, effective immediately.”
OIS had operated visa centres in Washington, D.C., Houston, Atlanta, Los Angeles and New Jersey, where it handled document submissions and biometric enrolment. With the contract now terminated, all applicants, including Nigerians living in the United States, must submit their applications directly through the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, D.C., or the country’s consulates in New York and Atlanta until further notice. The Consulate General of Nigeria in New York has also confirmed on its website that OIS no longer accepts applications on its behalf.
The NIS and Nigeria’s diplomatic missions have not explained why the outsourcing agreement ended, but the agency said the transition would not affect services.
“The Nigeria Immigration Service assures the public that the Embassy and the Consulates have put adequate measures in place to ensure seamless submission, processing, and issuance of visas,” Akinlabi said, urging applicants to follow official NIS and mission platforms for updates.
The move returns visa processing entirely to Nigerian diplomatic missions after years of relying on a private contractor. It also reflects Nigeria’s broader push to strengthen direct oversight of its immigration and travel documentation systems.
On the US side, visa restrictions have been tightening since last year. On July 8, 2025, the US Department of State reduced most non-immigrant, non-diplomatic visas issued to Nigerians to single-entry visas valid for three months. Previously, many of those visas remained valid for several years and allowed multiple entries. Visas issued before the policy change continue to be honoured under their original terms.
Washington said the decision was part of its global reciprocity policy, which regularly assesses countries based on passport security, identity verification, visa overstay rates and cooperation on criminal and security information sharing. US filings linked to the policy cited overstay rates of about 5.6% for Nigerian B1/B2 visa holders and nearly 12% for F, M and J visa holders.
The restrictions expanded this year. A presidential proclamation issued on December 16, 2025, and effective from January 1, 2026, suspended the issuance of new immigrant visas to Nigerians and halted new visas in the B-1/B-2, F, M and J non-immigrant categories. Existing valid visas were not affected.
Another temporary suspension covering immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, including Nigeria, took effect on January 21, 2026, as part of a broader security review. Even so, the US Mission in Nigeria has continued processing eligible applications through its embassies in Abuja and Lagos.
Despite the tougher rules, the US has said its relationship with Nigeria remains strong. The State Department says it is working with Nigerian authorities to help the country meet reciprocity requirements, while acknowledging improvements in passport security and border management. It has also pledged to continue supporting business, educational and cultural exchanges between the two countries.
Together, the changes reshape the visa process on both sides. Nigerians applying for new US visas now face tighter eligibility rules and shorter visa validity, while US-based applicants seeking Nigerian visas must deal directly with Nigerian diplomatic missions instead of a private contractor. Both governments say the changes are aimed at strengthening border security and improving visa administration, while maintaining close economic, educational and diplomatic ties.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah