U.S. Embassy Revokes Nigerians’ Visas, Leaving Families and Professionals Stranded

The United States Embassy in Nigeria has quietly started cancelling previously valid visas issued to Nigerian citizens, leaving professionals, entrepreneurs, frequent travellers, and families facing disrupted plans, financial losses, and uncertainty.

Former NNPC Ltd Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, disclosed the development in an article titled “The Quiet Revocation: Why is the U.S. Silently Cancelling Nigerians’ Visas?” published yesterday.

According to him, several affected individuals confirmed receiving official letters in recent weeks directing them to submit their passports at the U.S. consulates in Lagos or Abuja. Once submitted, their visas were abruptly revoked without any explanation.

The notices, which referenced Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 41.122, vaguely claimed that “new information became available after the visa was issued” but offered no details, supporting evidence, or channels for appeal.

Those affected include a prominent journalist, the head of a federal government agency billed to deliver an international speech, and an Abuja-based entrepreneur with an unblemished travel history. Others are professionals and regular travellers who depend on U.S. visas for education, family reunification, medical care, and vital business engagements.

Some were forced to cancel trips at the last minute, refund flight tickets, and explain missed meetings to international partners. In a few cases, travellers only discovered their visas had been revoked at airports or boarding gates, with some briefly detained by immigration officials before being turned back.

Neither the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria nor Nigerian authorities have issued a statement on the matter, leaving those affected in limbo.

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Many insist they have never overstayed visas, violated immigration rules, or posed security risks, fuelling fears of a quiet but targeted tightening of U.S. visa policies against Nigerians.

Analysts suggest the cancellations may reflect long-standing U.S. scrutiny of applicants from high-migration countries, noting that Nigeria has often been singled out. Past policy directives also encouraged consular officers to apply stricter reviews to certain nationalities, raising concerns that this latest wave of cancellations may be a continuation of that approach.