(Akinsola Akinlabi. Photo by Nairametrics)
The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has ended its partnership with Online Integrated Solution, OIS Services, which had been running Nigeria’s Visa Application and Submission Centres in the United States.
Applicants have now been told to send their visa requests straight to Nigerian diplomatic missions in the country, effective immediately.
This was made known through a public notice released on Thursday, July 9, 2026, by the Service’s Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi, speaking on behalf of NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
The move comes at a time when the United States has been steadily tightening its migration and visa rules, a trend that has affected both intending travellers and immigrants alike.
What they are saying
According to the Immigration Service, OIS Services is no longer authorised to receive or forward visa applications on behalf of Nigerian missions in the US, with the change taking effect immediately.
As a result, anyone applying for a Nigerian visa while in the United States has been instructed to go directly through the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, DC, or the Nigerian Consulates in New York and Atlanta, pending a new arrangement.
The Service noted that these missions have already put measures in place to keep visa processing and issuance running smoothly.
NIS also encouraged applicants to keep checking its official channels, as well as those of the Nigerian Mission in the US, for any updates on how the application process will work going forward.
More insights
This announcement is part of a wider set of changes affecting visa administration in the US.
Lagos had earlier been confirmed as one of just 20 African cities still permitted to offer full US visa processing, following a major overhaul by the US State Department that cut the number of embassies and consulates handling African visa applications from close to 50 down to 20.
Under this new arrangement, applicants from African countries that no longer have a designated processing hub are now expected to travel to one of the approved cities, Lagos among them, to complete their applications.
The State Department has said the restructuring is meant to tighten security standards while helping it make more efficient use of stretched diplomatic resources, with a number of missions now concentrating mainly on serving US citizens and handling emergencies.
What you should know
It’s worth noting that this particular update concerns Nigerians in the US applying for visas to enter Nigeria, not Nigerians seeking US visas.
Still, it comes against a backdrop of steadily tougher US immigration rules that have made the visa process more demanding for Nigerian applicants generally.
Since returning to office under his ‘America First’ agenda, President Donald Trump has rolled out several immigration measures geared towards tightening border controls and cutting down migration.
Among them was a failed attempt to scrap automatic birthright citizenship via executive order, alongside stepped-up enforcement against illegal immigration and stricter visa conditions.
In July 2025, the US cut back the validity of non-immigrant visas for Nigerians, restricting tourist and business visas to single-entry permits valid for just three months, down from the multiple-entry visas that previously lasted up to five years.
That came after reports in June 2025 that Nigeria was among 36 countries warned over possible travel restrictions linked to security and diplomatic concerns.
By December 2025, Nigeria and 15 other African nations found themselves under a partial US travel suspension.
The restrictions have since widened further, with visa applicants now required to undergo health and financial capacity assessments, disclose all social media accounts used over the past five years, and, from January 2026, pay visa bonds of up to $15,000 for B1/B2 business and tourism visa applications.
