(NIGERIA) — The United States Mission Nigeria said Nigerian students and exchange visitors who already hold valid F-1 and J-1 visas are not affected by a partial visa suspension tied to Presidential Proclamation 10998.

The clarification, posted on the US Mission’s official X account on Monday, February 23, 2026, aimed to reassure Nigerian students and exchange participants after confusion about who the restrictions cover.

“Nigerian students and exchange participants with currently valid F1 and J1 visas are not affected by Presidential Proclamation 10998. Students and exchange participants with visas can continue to contribute to learning, research, and innovation at U.S. colleges and institutions,” the Mission wrote.

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For Nigerians already in possession of unexpired F-1 and J-1 visas, the statement means those visas remain usable for travel and seeking entry, subject to normal inspection procedures at the U.S. border.

Presidential Proclamation 10998, titled “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” took effect January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The proclamation’s structure draws a sharp line between people who already had a valid U.S. visa at the moment it took effect and people who did not. It applies only to foreign nationals outside the United States on the effective date who do not hold a valid U.S. visa as of that time.

Holders of valid visas issued before January 1, 2026, at 12:01 a.m. EST, are explicitly exempt under the proclamation’s terms, and it states that no pre-existing visas have been or will be revoked by the proclamation itself.

That distinction matters for Nigerian students and exchange visitors because the affected visa categories include F, M, and J in the partial suspension list, even as the proclamation explicitly protects already-issued visas that remained valid at the effective moment.

Nigeria appears among countries subject to a partial suspension under the proclamation, alongside Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia.

For Nigeria, the partial suspension covers nonimmigrant B-1/B-2 visitor visas, F, M, and J student/exchange visitor visas, and immigrant visas, with limited exceptions.

The language of the proclamation sets out restrictions that can affect eligibility for new visa issuance and entry for certain applicants who are outside the United States and do not have a valid visa at the effective moment. It does not automatically cancel visas that were already valid, a point the US Mission highlighted in its message aimed at Nigerian students and exchange participants.

The proclamation also includes exceptions that can carve out specific travelers and categories even when a country is listed. Among the exceptions cited are Lawful Permanent Residents, dual nationals using passports from non-affected countries, and Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) for eligible U.S. government employees.

Participation in certain major international sporting events also appears among the cited exceptions, as does an immigrant-visa exception for ethnic/religious minorities facing persecution in Iran.

Such exceptions, where applicable, are typically fact-specific and depend on documents and individual circumstances rather than broad assurances, even as the Mission’s statement focused narrowly on Nigerians who already hold valid F-1 and J-1 visas.

The Department of State framed the policy as targeting visa overstays and non-compliance from countries with high overstay rates, while also stating that valid visa holders are not impacted.

Alongside the entry restrictions, the Mission pointed to expanded requirements for visa applicants to disclose social media usernames over a multi-year window, a change that can add a screening and completeness layer to visa processing when applicants submit new applications.

The Mission also warned that overstays by Nigerians could impact future applicants, linking individual compliance to future scrutiny for others seeking to travel.

Separate measures also tightened the immediate processing environment for some would-be travelers. Measures paused immigrant visa processing for Nigeria and 74 other countries starting January 21, 2026.

Nigeria’s travel and visa environment had already tightened before the proclamation took effect. Earlier actions reduced most non-immigrant visas for Nigerians to single-entry with three-month validity.

For Nigerian students and exchange sponsors trying to interpret the current rules, the Mission’s message focused on near-term certainty for those already holding valid documentation. The clarification directly addressed Nigerian students and exchange participants with “currently valid F1 and J1 visas,” and said they are “not affected” by Presidential Proclamation 10998.

That reassurance matters operationally for schools and exchange sponsors trying to manage travel plans, program start dates, and return trips for current students and participants, because the categories referenced in the partial suspension include student and exchange classifications even as the proclamation preserves valid visas issued before the effective moment.

For Nigerians who do not yet have visas, the proclamation’s described scope and the Nigeria-specific category list mean the restrictions can fall on would-be visitors, students, and exchange participants who are outside the United States and lack a valid visa as of the effective time, as well as on immigrant visas subject to limited exceptions.

For those who already have valid F-1 or J-1 visas, the Mission’s message places the emphasis on continuity: they can generally continue studies or exchange participation and travel under normal procedures, with the understanding that entry remains subject to standard inspection.

The Mission’s statement did not announce any change to inspection practices, and it framed the clarification as a way to reduce confusion after the proclamation’s rollout.

Nigerian students, schools, and exchange sponsors often look to the US Mission for practical guidance when U.S. policy shifts. In this case, the US Mission Nigeria used its social media platform to address a narrow but immediate question: whether already-issued F-1 and J-1 visas remained usable after the proclamation.

The clarification also fits within a broader compliance-focused backdrop described by the Department of State framing, which tied the policy to overstay and non-compliance concerns and highlighted that such patterns can affect the scrutiny applied to future applicants.

As implementation continues, current visa holders and institutions are likely to track updates through official channels, including the US Mission and the Department of State, for any changes to how Presidential Proclamation 10998 applies to Nigerian students and other travelers.