(NIGERIA) — The Central Bank of Nigeria raised the ceiling on official tuition remittances for overseas study to $25,000 per semester from $15,000, easing one financial constraint for families at the same time that U.S. visa accessibility for Nigerian students remains tight under security proclamations and related restrictions.

The change took effect on June 1, 2026, when the bank implemented the Foreign Exchange Manual, Fourth Edition. The new rules apply to undergraduate and postgraduate students at approved higher education institutions and separate tuition payments from living support.

Under the manual, Nigerian students living off campus can also remit a maintenance allowance capped at $5,000 per quarter. Applicants must submit Form ‘A’ through authorized dealer banks with supporting documents including an admission letter, tuition schedule and biodata page.

Nursery, primary, secondary, foundation and A-Level programs remain outside the official foreign exchange window. The Central Bank of Nigeria said the revision forms part of broader foreign exchange reforms introduced under Governor Olayemi Cardoso.

The policy offers relief to families that have struggled with rising overseas tuition bills and naira depreciation. It does not, however, resolve the separate barrier facing many Nigerians who want to study in the United States on F-1 visas or other student categories.

President Donald Trump’s Presidential Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026, placed Nigeria under a partial suspension that restricts issuance of F, M, and J student and exchange visas, as well as B-1/B-2 visitor visas. That means students who can now access more official foreign exchange in Nigeria may still be unable to secure new U.S. visas abroad.

Another U.S. measure added a cost for some travelers outside the student categories. Effective January 21, 2026, Nigerian nationals found eligible for B1/B2 visas may have to post a bond of up to $15,000.

The U.S. Mission in Nigeria said in a June 2026 notice: “Starting January 21, 2026, nationals of Nigeria who are found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa must post a bond of up to $15,000. B1/B2 visas for nationals of Nigeria cannot be issued until the bond has been paid.” The notice appears on the [U.S. Embassy Nigeria visa page](https://ng.usembassy.gov).

That bond requirement does not apply to F-1 student visas in the material released here, but it reinforces the broader tightening in U.S. entry policy toward Nigerian nationals. The result is a split picture: access to dollars for tuition has improved at home, while access to new visas remains constrained abroad.

A separate U.S. court ruling brought some movement for Nigerians already inside the United States. On June 5, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, in Dorcas International Institute v. USCIS, vacated USCIS policies that had paused adjudication of benefits for Nigerians and others from countries labeled high risk.

USCIS said on June 12, 2026: “USCIS strongly disagrees with the Court’s order but will follow its terms pending possible further judicial review. the vacatur applies to PM 602-0192, PM 602-0194, and PA 2025-26, which should be treated as if they are not in effect.” The agency posted that statement in a [USCIS policy update](https://www.uscis.gov).

The order affects benefit processing such as green cards and work permits for people already in the country. It does not reopen visa issuance overseas for applicants blocked by Presidential Proclamation 10998, which remains a Department of State barrier distinct from USCIS adjudication.

That distinction matters for Nigerian students weighing their options in mid-2026. A student already in the United States and dealing with an immigration benefit application may see movement after the Rhode Island order, while a student in Nigeria seeking a new F-1 visa still faces the restrictions tied to the U.S. security proclamations.

The Central Bank of Nigeria’s new remittance rules spell out the practical channels available on the Nigerian side. Tuition remittances now move through official bank routes in higher amounts, and maintenance support sits in a separate category rather than inside the tuition ceiling.

Families seeking to use the official window still need to meet documentary requirements through authorized dealer banks. The listed paperwork includes the school admission letter, the tuition schedule and the student’s biodata page, all submitted with Form ‘A’ under the framework set by the [Central Bank of Nigeria](https://www.cbn.gov.ng).

Cardoso unveiled the manual as part of efforts to improve foreign exchange liquidity. The increase in the ceiling addresses a problem that had become more acute as overseas study costs climbed and the earlier $15,000 limit left some families unable to cover semester bills through official channels.

Students heading to countries other than the United States may find the policy easier to use immediately, because the bank’s rule concerns access to funds rather than admission or entry permission. Nigerians focused on U.S. colleges and universities face a more tangled path because the finance rule and the visa rules operate in separate systems.

That split also shapes the meaning of visa accessibility in current student planning. Official remittance capacity can reduce pressure on families that would otherwise search for foreign currency outside formal banking channels, but it cannot by itself secure an interview, overcome a partial suspension, or replace a student visa that the United States is not issuing under the proclamation.

In effect, Nigeria has widened the payment pipe while the United States has narrowed the admissions gate. The numbers capture the gap: up to $25,000 per semester for tuition, up to $5,000 per quarter for off-campus maintenance, and a continuing U.S. partial suspension covering F, M, and J visas from January 1, 2026.

The same month brought another pressure point for some travelers, with bonds reaching $15,000 for qualifying B1/B2 cases from January 21, 2026. Even though that bond targets visitor visas rather than F-1 student visas, it adds to the cost and caution surrounding U.S. travel by Nigerian nationals.

Legal developments in Rhode Island offered a narrower form of relief. Nigerians already in the United States who are seeking immigration benefits now fall under a restored adjudication process after the court vacated the USCIS hold policies, but that relief stops at the water’s edge and does not undo the visa suspensions applied overseas.

The policy picture on June 15, 2026 leaves Nigerian students with more room to pay and less certainty about where they can go. The Central Bank of Nigeria has eased one burden through the Foreign Exchange Manual, Fourth Edition; the U.S. security proclamations still define the harder limit for many would-be students.