The United States has suspended all routine immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing at its embassy in Niamey “until further notice” while it addresses unspecified “concerns with the Government of Niger,” a State Department spokesperson said on Saturday.
Diplomatic and official visas are exempt, the spokesperson added, without elaborating on the reasons for the pause. A July 25 internal cable seen by Reuters instructed consular posts elsewhere to apply “heightened scrutiny” to Nigerien applicants, citing overstay rates of 8% for visitor visas and 27% for student and exchange visas.
Consular managers were told to curb overstays and exercise “particular vigilance” in adjudicating Nigerien non-immigrant visas. The embassy has notified affected applicants, the spokesperson said.
The move comes as President Donald Trump’s administration tightens immigration enforcement, including visa vetting and deportations. Officials have said student visa and green card holders could face removal over support for Palestinians or criticism of Israel’s war conduct, calling such activity a foreign-policy threat. In May, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he had likely revoked “thousands” of visas; the department has also expanded social media checks.
The U.S. military completed its withdrawal from Niger last September after the ruling junta ordered roughly 1,000 American troops out in April 2024—an embarrassment for Washington in a country once central to its Sahel counterinsurgency strategy. A coup in 2023 upended that partnership, as Islamist violence continued to kill thousands and displace millions across the region.