The United States has moved to clear the air over its visa processing shake-up in Nigeria, stressing that the US Embassy in Abuja will remain open and fully operational despite the relocation of routine visa services to Lagos.
The clarification came after the US Department of State announced that routine visa processing in Abuja would be realigned to a regional visa hub from August 1, 2026.
The development had sparked concerns over the future of the Abuja embassy, but the US Mission in Nigeria said the change affected only routine visa processing and did not amount to the closure or suspension of operations at the embassy.
In a statement posted on its official X handle on Monday, the mission said the realignment would not alter the status of US diplomatic missions in affected countries.
It explained that embassies and consulates would continue carrying out their other diplomatic and consular responsibilities.
The State Department had announced on July 15 that it was restructuring routine visa operations across Africa by moving some processing to designated regional hubs.
According to the department, the move is aimed at strengthening national security, improving efficiency and ensuring greater consistency in visa screening, vetting and adjudication.
Nigeria is among the countries affected by the new arrangement, with Lagos designated as the regional hub for routine US visa services.
Under the new system, Nigerians and other eligible applicants seeking US visas are expected to make appointments and pay applicable fees at designated regional visa locations.
The changes cover both nonimmigrant and immigrant visa applications.
They include tourist and business visas, petition-based nonimmigrant visas, immediate-relative and family-preference immigrant visas, employment-based visas, fiancée/fiancé visas, adoption cases, Diversity Visas and follow-to-join cases involving certain asylees and refugees.
However, the US government stressed that the shake-up does not invalidate existing visas.
“This does not affect any currently valid visas,” the department said.
Applicants who already have appointments at posts where routine visa processing has been discontinued were advised to check their emails for specific instructions from the US authorities.
The department also gave applicants who had paid Machine Readable Visa fees at affected locations a July 31 deadline to schedule appointments at the designated posts.
It warned that fees would not be refunded where applicants failed to schedule appointments within the stipulated period.
For immigrant visa applicants, the US said mandatory medical examinations could be conducted in their home countries where approved panel physicians were available, or at the designated regional visa hubs.
Meanwhile, the department said other existing immigration restrictions, including visa suspensions under Presidential Proclamation 10998, visa bond requirements and immigrant visa pauses affecting certain nationalities, remained in effect.
The latest clarification means that while Abuja has lost its role as a routine visa-processing centre, the US Embassy itself is not shutting down.
The embassy will continue to operate in Abuja and perform its other diplomatic, consular and official functions, while Lagos takes on the regional role for routine US visa processing.
