US government explains strict visa requirements for Nigerians amid concerns over falsified records

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has clarified why it has imposed strict visa policies on Nigerian applicants.

USCIS said that documents from Nigeria are often unreliable because of forgery and corruption.

Deputy Director Angelica Alfonso-Royals presented these claims in the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island.

She defended the agency’s decision to place applications from Nigerians and nationals of 38 other countries on hold, following restrictions on those countries due to terrorism and public safety concerns.

USCIS said it was essential for officials to impose an adjudicative hold on all pending benefit requests from aliens of high‑risk countries after President Donald Trump’s proclamations in December 2025 and January 2026.

“Nigerian documents also have limited credibility due to corruption.”

“In Nigeria, it is common for government officials to falsify records. Furthermore, Nigerian birth and death registrations rarely happen at the time of the event and often only occur when needed, which can be years later.”

“Many Nigerian marriage and divorce events are not recorded in formal government databases. When they are, record‑keeping is poor to non‑existent,” Alfonso‑Royals said.