The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) has told a federal court that concerns over unreliable documentation and alleged falsification of public records in Nigeria influenced its decision to pause the processing of green card, work permit, and other immigration benefit applications for Nigerian applicants and citizens of several other countries.
In a declaration submitted at the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, USCIS deputy director Angelica Alfonso-Royals said the agency implemented the policy after identifying risks linked to identity verification and document integrity in some countries, particularly those with weak or inconsistent civil registration systems.
The agency explained that the decision followed presidential proclamations issued in late 2025 and early 2026, which led to increased scrutiny of applicants from countries considered high-risk on security and identity management grounds.
Although a federal judge, John McConnell, ruled that the suspension directives lacked legal authority and should be set aside, USCIS maintained that it had concerns about national security and document reliability while also stating it would comply with the ruling and continue processing applications.
The agency argued that some previously approved immigration applications were based on questionable or incomplete documentation and cited difficulties in verifying identity records from several countries, including Nigeria, Somalia, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, South Sudan, Liberia, Ethiopia, Angola, and Sierra Leone.
Alfonso-Royals specifically stated that Nigerian civil records were sometimes unreliable due to inconsistent registration practices and alleged corruption, adding that many birth, death, and marriage records were not consistently documented in real time.
She further noted that USCIS was working on enhanced vetting systems to improve fraud detection and strengthen identity verification processes across affected countries.
The policy has sparked wider discussion about document integrity in Nigeria, a country where past controversies have involved allegations of certificate forgery and falsification of official records among both public officials and political figures, including cases linked to former ministers and national leaders such as Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Kemi Adeosun, and Geoffrey Nnaji. Institutions such as the National Youth Service Corps (National Youth Service Corps) and Chicago State University (Chicago State University) have also been referenced in past certificate-related disputes.
USCIS maintains that its ongoing reforms aim to reduce fraud risks while ensuring national security and integrity in the immigration system.
