According to a U.S. State Department cable issued on Tuesday, embassies and consulates worldwide, including those in Nigeria, have been instructed to pause scheduling any new appointments for student (F, M) and exchange visitor (J) visas until further notice.
Nigerian students face extended U.S. visa delays after President Trump ordered a global freeze on F/M/J visa appointments to implement stringent social media vetting.
A State Department cable revealed all embassies, including Lagos and Abuja, must pause new student/exchange visa bookings pending revised screening protocols. The move escalates existing backlogs, where Nigerian applicants already wait over a year for interviews. “The department is reviewing vetting processes,” the memo stated, with new guidelines expected imminently.
The policy expands Trump’s crackdown on campus activism, requiring officers to scan applicants’ TikTok, X, and Instagram for “terrorist sympathies” – including pro-Palestinian content. It follows earlier directives targeting “far-left ideologies” in universities, now extended to all 1+ million foreign students contributing $43.8 billion annually to the U.S. economy.
With Fall 2025 admissions approaching, Nigerian scholars risk missing academic deadlines. Education consultants warn the freeze could redirect students to Canada/UK, while civil groups condemn it as discriminatory profiling.