The United States has announced a sweeping suspension of immigrant visa processing for Nigeria and 74 other countries, while also pulling some military personnel from its Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, underscoring a broader shift in U.S foreign and security policy amid escalating global and regional tensions.
On Wednesday, the US State Department said it was pausing immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries as part of a reassessment of immigration procedures.
The move, ordered under President Donald Trump’s administration, applies to immigrant visas only and does not affect tourist, business, or other short-term travel visas, including those for football fans attending this year’s World Cup.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said the suspension was aimed at preventing what he described as abuse of America’s immigration system. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” he said, adding that the policy was based on nationality.
Nigeria is among the affected countries, alongside others across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America, including Egypt, Ghana, Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Iran, and Thailand.
The State Department has not formally published the list, but the White House confirmed the countries involved through official statements and social media posts.
The visa action comes as the Trump administration continues a hardline approach to immigration, with the US authorities saying more than 100,000 visas have been revoked since Trump’s return to office, while the Department of Homeland Security reports over 605,000 deportations and an additional 2.5 million voluntary departures.
At the same time, the US is reducing the number of personnel at its Al-Udeid air base in Qatar, the largest American military installation in the Middle East.
CBS News reported that some personnel had been asked to leave as a “precautionary measure,” a move Qatar said was taken in response to current regional tensions.
Al-Udeid, located outside Doha, serves as the headquarters for US air operations across the region and hosts about 10,000 personnel, including rotating UK forces.
While diplomats say there is no sign of a mass evacuation, the drawdown follows heightened tensions with Iran, which previously launched missile strikes at the base in retaliation for US attacks on its nuclear facilities.
The situation has been further inflamed by unrest in Iran, where anti-government protests over economic hardship have turned into broader demands for political change. Rights groups say more than 2,400 protesters have been killed and over 18,000 arrested.
Donald Trump has warned Tehran of “very strong action” over the crackdown, while Iran has accused the US of manufacturing a pretext for military intervention and warned that any attack would trigger retaliation against US and allied assets in the region.
