The US Mission in Nigeria has paused its visa services after the US Government shutdown was activated early Wednesday morning.
In a post on X, the mission stated “Due to the lapse in appropriations, this 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.
“We will not update this account until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security information. For information on our services and operating status, visit travel.state.gov.” it noted.
US Government Shutdown
The US federal government shutdown occurs when Congress fails to pass, and the President fails to sign, the necessary appropriation (spending) bills or a temporary funding measure (a “continuing resolution”) by the start of the new fiscal year (or the expiration of the current funding).
This year, as of Oct 1, Congress had not agreed on a continuing resolution or the full set of appropriation bills to fund government operations.
During a shutdown, many federal employees are directly affected. Nonessential staff are furloughed, placed on temporary leave without pay, while essential workers in areas like safety, security, and public health are required to continue working but won’t be paid until funding resumes. Thanks to the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, most federal employees are guaranteed retroactive pay once the shutdown ends, though federal contractors are not usually protected and may face lasting income losses.
Public services also face disruptions. Mandatory programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid continue since they are not dependent on annual appropriations, but their support functions—like new enrollments, benefit verifications, or customer service—may be delayed. Processing of visas, permits, and small business loans often slows or halts, unless fee-funded. Immigration enforcement and border security continue as essential services, though related administrative work may stall. Federal courts can operate for a limited time on reserve funds, but nonessential cases may be postponed.