The United States may revoke the tourist and business visas of up to 200,000 foreign nationals who have applied for asylum after entering the country.

The Trump administration is considering the move as part of its wider immigration crackdown. The Associated Press reported the plan after reviewing State Department documents and speaking with two U.S. officials.

If the administration proceeds, the action could become the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history. The State Department could start notifying affected visa holders in the coming weeks.

Who could lose their visas?

The proposed policy focuses on people who hold B1 or B2 visas and later applied for asylum in the United States.

B1 visas generally cover business travel. B2 visas cover tourism, family visits and medical treatment.

The proposed review would cover B1 and B2 visas issued from 2016 through 2026. U.S. authorities are working to identify visa holders who entered the country as temporary visitors and later filed asylum applications.

State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott confirmed the coordination with the Department of Homeland Security. He did not give a final figure for the number of visas that officials could revoke.

Pigott said officials would handle the reviews on a rolling basis. As a result, the final number could change.

Visa cancellation may not mean immediate deportation

Losing a B1 or B2 visa would not automatically lead to immediate deportation.

U.S. officials told the Associated Press that some people could continue their pending asylum cases under another immigration status. They would, however, lose their classification as business or tourist visitors.

The proposal has also drawn criticism from asylum advocates and could face legal challenges if the administration implements it.

Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau has criticised people who enter the United States on temporary visas and later seek asylum. He has argued that people should not use asylum claims to avoid normal immigration rules.

Part of wider immigration enforcement

The visa proposal follows a broader increase in U.S. immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump.

The State Department says it has revoked about 175,000 visas over the past 18 months. Those cases involved people convicted or accused of offences such as drunken driving, rape and robbery.

Officials have also cancelled some visas after holders publicly criticised U.S. policies.

The administration has separately pursued restrictions on birth tourism. It has also sought to end birthright citizenship. Courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, have blocked those efforts.

Possible impact on Nigerians

The policy could attract attention in Nigeria because many Nigerians travel to the United States for business, tourism, family visits and investment.

Visa changes can also affect people involved in cross-border business. This includes real estate investors, property developers and professionals who work between Nigeria and the United States.

For Nigeria’s housing sector, international mobility can support diaspora investment and business partnerships. Changes to U.S. immigration rules could therefore matter to Nigerians planning property purchases, investments or other commercial activities in the United States.

The issue also highlights the importance of understanding the conditions attached to temporary visas. Visitors who enter the United States must comply with the terms of their immigration status.

US continues to tighten immigration rules

The State Department documents show that the latest review began after immigration authorities shared information about asylum applications filed by current B1 and B2 visa holders.

The administration has also increased efforts to remove migrants to countries other than their countries of origin. A February 2026 report cited by Nairametrics said Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee estimated that the U.S. government had spent more than $40 million to deport about 300 migrants to third countries.

Those transfers involved countries such as Rwanda, Palau, Eswatini, El Salvador and Equatorial Guinea. The report said Rwanda received seven deportees at a cost of about $1.1 million per person.

The proposed visa revocations remain under review. The U.S. government has not confirmed that it will cancel exactly 200,000 visas.

For international travellers, the development signals a stricter approach to visa enforcement. Nigerians and other foreign nationals who plan to travel, invest or conduct business in the United States will need to pay close attention to changes in U.S. immigration rules.

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The United States government has retained Lagos as Nigeria’s only designated visa processing hub while excluding Abuja from a new list of 20 African cities that will continue to offer full visa processing services under a major consular restructuring initiative.

The decision follows a directive approved by Marco Rubio as part of the administration’s plan to reduce the American consular footprint across Africa from approximately 50 locations to just 20 regional visa processing hubs.

According to reports, the new arrangement is expected to take effect in June, although U.S. authorities have yet to announce a formal implementation date.

Lagos Retained as Nigeria’s Sole Visa Processing Hub

Under the new framework, Lagos remains one of only 20 African cities authorised to maintain full visa processing capabilities.

Other cities on the list include Accra, Abidjan, Addis Ababa, Dakar, Nairobi, Kampala, Kigali, Kinshasa, Monrovia, Yaoundé and several other strategic locations across the continent.

Notably absent from the list is Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, which currently hosts a fully operational U.S. Embassy and processes thousands of visa applications annually.

The exclusion of Abuja means Lagos will become the primary location for full U.S. visa processing services in Nigeria under the new arrangement.

New Requirements for Visa Applicants

The policy change could have significant implications for visa applicants across Africa.

Citizens from countries or cities not included in the list of designated hubs may be required to travel to another country to complete visa application procedures, increasing travel expenses and logistical challenges for applicants already facing lengthy processing times.

However, consular operations in non-hub locations will continue to provide limited services, including passport renewals for American citizens, emergency assistance, diplomatic visas and special national-interest cases.

US Tightens Global Immigration Procedures

The State Department said the restructuring forms part of a broader review aimed at aligning diplomatic resources with U.S. national interests while maintaining strict security screening standards.

The move also aligns with wider efforts by the administration to strengthen immigration controls and streamline diplomatic operations globally.

Reports indicate that U.S. diplomats worldwide have already been briefed on planned personnel reductions at embassies and consulates as part of the broader restructuring programme.

What the Change Means for Nigerians

For Nigerian applicants, Lagos is expected to remain the central hub for visa processing services, while the future scope of services available at the U.S. Embassy in Abuja remains unclear.

The development could lead to increased demand for appointments in Lagos, potentially affecting waiting times for visa applicants seeking travel, study, business and immigration opportunities in the United States.

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The United States government has announced plans to freeze visa processing for nationals of Nigeria and 74 other countries over concerns that applicants from the affected nations are likely to depend on welfare and public benefits.

According to the US State Department, the pause will take effect from January 21, 2026, and will remain in force indefinitely while a comprehensive reassessment of immigrant visa screening and vetting procedures is carried out.

A State Department memo, first reported by Fox News Digital, revealed that the decision will affect visa applicants from countries across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Latin America. In addition to Nigeria, countries listed include Somalia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Afghanistan, Russia, Brazil and Thailand.

The directive instructs US embassies and consular officers to refuse visas under existing “public charge” provisions of US immigration law while the reassessment is ongoing.

President Donald Trump had earlier in the year published data on welfare dependency rates among immigrant households, noting that about 33.3 per cent of Nigerian immigrant households reportedly received some form of public assistance in the United States.

Under the new guidance, consular officers are empowered to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on government support. This includes older applicants, those considered overweight, and individuals with a history of receiving cash assistance or undergoing institutionalisation.

“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” a State Department spokesperson, Tommy Piggott, said in a statement.

“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” he added.

In November 2025, a State Department cable circulated to diplomatic posts worldwide had already directed consular officers to enforce stricter screening rules under the “public charge” provision. The guidance instructed officers to assess a wide range of factors, including applicants’ health status, age, English language proficiency, financial capacity and potential need for long-term medical care.

While the public charge provision has existed in US immigration law for decades, its enforcement has varied across administrations, with consular officers historically given broad discretion. However, in 2019, President Trump expanded the definition to include a wider range of public benefits, tightening admissibility standards for immigrants.

The latest move signals a renewed push by the US administration to strictly enforce immigration rules linked to welfare dependence, with Nigerian applicants now among those facing heightened scrutiny.

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