A United States federal court has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended immigrant visa processing for citizens of Nigeria and 74 other countries.
The ruling was delivered by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas at the Southern District of New York on Friday, August 21, 2026.
The court found that the policy, introduced by the U.S. Department of State in January, was unlawful and exceeded the authority granted to Secretary of State Marco Rubio under federal immigration law.
The decision is a major development for Nigerians and other foreign nationals whose U.S. immigrant visa applications were affected by the suspension.
The policy had stopped immigrant visa issuance to applicants from 75 countries, with the administration citing concerns that some applicants could become dependent on public assistance after entering the United States.
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Nigeria was among the African countries affected. Others included Ghana, Cameroon, Gambia, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Togo and Tunisia.
The State Department introduced the suspension on January 21, 2026, placing affected immigrant visa applications on hold indefinitely while it reviewed immigration processing procedures.
The court challenge was filed by affected families, visa applicants and immigrant rights organisations, including the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together.
They argued that the State Department could not create a blanket nationality-based suspension without following the legal framework established by Congress.
Judge Vargas agreed, ruling that the policy conflicted with federal immigration law and exceeded Rubio’s statutory authority. She described the measure as “patently unlawful” and vacated it under the Administrative Procedure Act.
The court also ordered the State Department to restore lawful, case-by-case consideration of immigrant visa applications and set aside visa denials based solely on the invalidated policy.
However, the ruling does not mean that every Nigerian or other affected national will automatically receive a U.S. immigrant visa.
Applicants must still satisfy normal immigration requirements, including applicable security checks, medical requirements and individual eligibility rules.
