U.S. Blocks Nigerians, Others From Applying For Green Card, Citizenship — Report

The United States government has temporarily suspended the processing of green card and citizenship applications filed by Nigerians and nationals of several other countries newly added to an expanded “travel ban” list, according to CBS News.

The move affects both prospective immigrants abroad and many legal immigrants already residing in the United States.

Those impacted include individuals seeking to adjust their immigration status or naturalise as U.S. citizens.

Earlier this month, the administration directed US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to freeze all immigration petitions — including applications for permanent residency and citizenship — submitted by nationals of countries covered under the travel restrictions first announced in June.

The directive followed heightened security measures introduced after the Thanksgiving week shooting of two National Guard soldiers in the U.S. capital, Washington, D.C., an attack allegedly carried out by an Afghan national.

In addition to the immigration freeze, the administration suspended decisions on asylum cases handled by USCIS and halted the processing of immigration and visa requests by Afghan nationals.

On Tuesday, President Trump further expanded the scope of the travel ban, adding 20 more countries. Under the latest proclamation, five countries face a full ban on entry into the United States, while nationals of 15 others are subject to partial restrictions.

According to a US government official who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity, USCIS has now extended the suspension of immigration case processing to include nationals of the newly listed countries.

The countries placed under a full travel ban are Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, Laos and Sierra Leone. Laos and Sierra Leone had previously been subject to partial restrictions but were upgraded to a full ban under the new order.

Countries facing partial travel restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Previously affected countries include Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Venezuela.

In a statement posted on social media late Thursday, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow appeared to confirm the expansion of the policy, saying the agency was undertaking a broad security review of individuals identified under the president’s latest proclamation, which he said was aimed at restoring “law and order” to the US immigration system.

Taken together, the expanded travel ban now affects nationals of more than 60 per cent of African countries and roughly one-fifth of all countries worldwide.

The Trump administration has defended the measures as necessary to protect national security, citing alleged deficiencies in screening, vetting and information-sharing by the affected countries.

Nigeria was earlier designated a “country of particular concern” by the administration, following allegations relating to religious freedom and security challenges.