The U.S. Embassy in Abuja and Consulate General in Lagos announced Friday that all routine services—including immigrant and non-immigrant visa interviews, American-citizen services, and passport processing—have resumed following the end of the U.S. government shutdown. The mission used its official X (formerly Twitter) account to declare the “End of Lapse of Appropriations,” reassuring applicants that previously scheduled appointments will proceed as normal.
Nigeria ranks among the top ten countries for U.S. immigrant visas and among the top five for Diversity-Visa entries, making the embassy’s operational status critical for corporate talent flows between West Africa and the United States. During the shutdown, the posts had run on skeletal staffing, handling only humanitarian emergencies and boarding-foil requests.
![U.S. Embassy in Nigeria Fully Resumes Visa and Citizen Services After Shutdown]()
Visa applicants whose interviews were canceled in October are being re-slotted automatically, and the embassy said it will add Saturday interview days through December to reduce the backlog. American expatriates in Nigeria can again renew passports and access notarial services without delay.
Multinational employers with Nigerian assignees should review rescheduled interview notices and adjust deployment timelines accordingly. The resumption also means U.S. companies can once again send staff to Nigeria for urgent assignments without fear of consular document delays on the return leg.
The update is indicative of similar restarts across high-volume consular posts worldwide. Nevertheless, State Department officials warn that cumulative global backlogs now exceed 480,000 appointments, so travelers should continue to plan well ahead until capacity normalizes.
Nigeria ranks among the top ten countries for U.S. immigrant visas and among the top five for Diversity-Visa entries, making the embassy’s operational status critical for corporate talent flows between West Africa and the United States. During the shutdown, the posts had run on skeletal staffing, handling only humanitarian emergencies and boarding-foil requests.
Visa applicants whose interviews were canceled in October are being re-slotted automatically, and the embassy said it will add Saturday interview days through December to reduce the backlog. American expatriates in Nigeria can again renew passports and access notarial services without delay.
Multinational employers with Nigerian assignees should review rescheduled interview notices and adjust deployment timelines accordingly. The resumption also means U.S. companies can once again send staff to Nigeria for urgent assignments without fear of consular document delays on the return leg.
The update is indicative of similar restarts across high-volume consular posts worldwide. Nevertheless, State Department officials warn that cumulative global backlogs now exceed 480,000 appointments, so travelers should continue to plan well ahead until capacity normalizes.
