The United States Embassy in Nigeria has moved to calm growing concerns over the impact of the partial shutdown of the US government, confirming that visa and passport services remain unaffected for now.
In a statement released Wednesday via its official X account, the embassy disclosed that while routine updates on its social media platforms would be paused until full government funding is restored, consular services would continue.
“Due to the lapse in appropriations, this X account will not be updated regularly until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security information.
At this time, scheduled passport and visa transit services in the United States and at U.S. Embassies and Consulates overseas will continue during the lapse in appropriations as the situation permits,” the embassy announced.
The clarification comes amid unease among Nigerians who feared the shutdown could disrupt visa applications, student travel plans, and other consular engagements.
The shutdown, which began after negotiations between President Donald Trump and Congress collapsed over disagreements on health care funding, has forced several federal agencies in the US to suspend operations.
While essential services like the military, postal service, and social welfare programmes such as Social Security continue to function, non-essential government workers face furloughs without pay.
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According to the Congressional Budget Office, about 750,000 federal employees could be sent home daily until a funding resolution is reached.
This is the first US government shutdown since the record 35-day closure during Trump’s first term nearly seven years ago.
Historically, the US has recorded 21 shutdowns since 1976, when the modern budget process was introduced.
Nigerians seeking updates on visa and passport applications have been advised to monitor official notices via travel.state.gov.