Nigerians among hardest hit as U.S. visa freeze locks up $101 million in fees

For thousands of Nigerians already caught in sweeping U.S. visa restrictions, a new analysis suggests the impact goes beyond blocked travel and may also involve paying for immigration services that are never delivered.

A report by the Cato Institute alleges that the U.S. government has collected more than $1 billion in immigration processing fees for applications it has no plans to adjudicate, describing the situation as “the largest fraud in the history of the U.S. immigration system.”

“Cubans represent the largest group of affected applicants with nearly a million affected applications at a combined cost of $543 million,” the report states. “The second most common was Venezuelans, with 239,000 applications at a cost of $138 million. Nigerians, Afghans, Haitians, and Iranians are the other top nationalities.”

The report puts Nigeria’s cost at $101 million with 179,000 applications.

The findings build on an already restrictive environment. As previously reported by Pluboard, U.S. visa curbs introduced in late 2025 effectively shut down key pathways for Nigerians seeking new visas, particularly students, workers and families trying to relocate. While existing visa holders remain unaffected, new applicants face widespread denials or indefinite delays.

The Cato report suggests the situation is more severe: many applicants are still being allowed to submit forms, attend interviews and pay fees—even though decisions may never come.

“The government took their money, and now it won’t even adjudicate their applications—in many cases, it refuses even to issue denials,” the report said.

At the centre of the controversy are overlapping policies introduced under U.S. President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services chief Joseph Edlow.

One presidential proclamation bars entry and most visas for citizens of dozens of countries, including Nigeria, using powers under U.S. immigration law. Another policy freezes the processing of immigration benefits, even for some individuals already living in the United States, while a separate State Department directive halts immigrant visa issuance for a wider group of countries.

Taken together, the measures effectively block citizens of more than 90 countries from obtaining immigrant visas, affecting an estimated 561,000 potential permanent residents.

Consular officers, the report notes, have been instructed not to warn applicants in advance.

“They are being told not to ‘counsel applicants or advise them… that they are subject to the [ban],’” it said.

Nigerians among hardest hit

Nigeria stands out both for the scale of affected applicants and the financial burden.

With 179,000 applications tied to roughly $101 million in fees, Nigerians rank among the top groups impacted, alongside Cubans, Venezuelans and Haitians.

These fees, often running into thousands of dollars per applicant, cover processes such as work permits, visa petitions and applications for permanent residency.

To sponsor a spouse, for instance, a U.S. citizen may pay up to $2,675 in combined fees across multiple applications.

Yet under current policies, many applicants may never receive a decision.

Legal and policy questions

The report argues that the blanket restrictions stretch U.S. immigration law, which typically requires individual assessments—particularly in determining whether applicants are likely to become a “public charge.”

“There is no authority… to impose a blanket ban… based on nationality,” it said.

It also warns that the lack of transparency—combined with continued fee collection—raises serious accountability concerns.

During testimony before the U.S. Senate, the report’s author said even lawmakers were taken aback.

“Even Senator John Kennedy told me… he was shocked it was happening,” the report noted.