The U.S. has suspended the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign commercial truck drivers with immediate effect, citing safety risks and threats to American truckers’ livelihoods.
The United States government has effective immediately halted the issuance of work visas for Nigerian and other foreign commercial truck drivers, attributing the decision to growing threats to jobs and road safety for American citizens. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the suspension on Thursday.
In his announcement, Rubio stated: “Effective immediately, we are pausing all issuance of worker visas for commercial truck drivers. The increasing number of foreign drivers operating large tractor-trailer trucks on U.S. roads is endangering American lives and undercutting the livelihoods of American truckers.”
The decision stems from President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration clampdown since resuming office in January 2025. As part of a 12-month pilot programme, travellers from countries with high visa overstay records or weak travel databases will now be required to post a bond between $5,000 and $15,000 before obtaining certain U.S. visas.
Furthermore, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria now mandates that all visa applicants disclose their social media usernames from the past five years when completing the visa form. Failure to comply may result in rejection or future ineligibility.