USCIS Cites Nigerian Document Fraud in Federal Court, Pauses Visa Processing

The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services told a federal court that concerns over unreliable Nigerian documents and falsified records by public officials led it to pause processing green card, work permit, and other immigration applications from Nigeria. Deputy Director Angelica Alfonso-Royals submitted a declaration noting that some naturalisation and permanent residence approvals were granted based on false information. She cited poor identity infrastructure, corruption, and late or missing registrations for births, deaths, marriages, and divorces in Nigeria. After a district judge struck down restrictions imposed by presidential proclamations, USCIS said it will resume pending cases while seeking further review. The agency is finalising enhanced vetting plans to mitigate fraud risks in high-risk countries. Document forgery allegations are not new in Nigeria. Recent scandals involve former minister Geoffrey Nnaji over a falsified NYSC and university degree, certificate disputes in President Bola Tinubu’s background, and former finance minister Kemi Adeosun’s resignation over an invalid service certificate.

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