USCIS Cites Document Fraud Concerns as Basis for Nigeria Immigration Restrictions

The United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has told a federal court that concerns over the credibility of official records from Nigeria and several other countries influenced its decision to suspend the processing of certain immigration benefit applications for their citizens.

The position was contained in a court declaration filed by USCIS Deputy Director, Angelica Alfonso-Royals, before the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, where the agency is defending policies that placed pending applications for green cards, work permits and other immigration benefits on hold for nationals of Nigeria and 38 other countries.

According to USCIS, the measures followed presidential proclamations issued by former U.S. President Donald Trump in December 2025 and January 2026 restricting entry from countries identified as posing terrorism and public safety concerns.

The agency argued that it was necessary to place “an adjudicative hold on all pending benefit requests” involving nationals from the affected countries while additional screening and risk assessments were carried out.

USCIS explained that the decision was informed by findings from previous immigration cases in which some applications for permanent residency and naturalisation were approved using information later deemed unreliable.

In her declaration, Alfonso-Royals said some of the countries under review lacked credible identity management systems, making it difficult for immigration officials to independently verify applicants’ identities and supporting documents.

She specifically listed Nigeria among countries where concerns about document authenticity and record-keeping had been raised.

“Nigerian documents also have limited credibility due to corruption. In Nigeria, it is common for government officials to falsify records,” she stated.

The USCIS official further argued that birth and death registrations in Nigeria often occur long after the actual events, while marriage and divorce records are either poorly maintained or absent from official databases.

According to her, these gaps create vulnerabilities that could be exploited during immigration processing and complicate efforts to verify applicants’ identities and backgrounds.

She noted that USCIS had been developing an enhanced vetting framework tailored to the risk profiles of affected countries and was seeking additional tools and information to strengthen fraud detection mechanisms.

“USCIS is finalising its enhanced vetting plan based upon risk factors present within each country,” Alfonso-Royals said, adding that the agency was working to address screening weaknesses identified during its reviews.

The declaration came in response to a June 11 ruling by District Judge John McConnell, who struck down the directives, holding that the Trump administration lacked the legal authority to impose the restrictions.

Although USCIS said it disagreed with the judgment, the agency announced that it would resume processing pending applications while exploring further legal options.

The agency maintained that the court decision could hamper efforts to identify national security, public safety and immigration integrity concerns linked to the affected countries.

USCIS also warned that the ruling could make it more difficult to coordinate effectively with law enforcement and intelligence agencies on risk mitigation measures.

The court filing has renewed attention on longstanding concerns surrounding document fraud in Nigeria, where allegations involving forged academic certificates and official records have occasionally surfaced in high-profile public cases.

Among such cases was the resignation of former Minister of Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, in 2025 following allegations relating to forged academic and National Youth Service Corps documents.

Questions over certificate authenticity also featured prominently in legal disputes surrounding President Bola Tinubu’s academic records during the 2023 election litigation, although the Supreme Court ultimately upheld his election victory.

Former Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun similarly resigned in 2018 amid controversy over an alleged forged NYSC exemption certificate.

Credit: Peoples Gazette