How does the United States travel ban affect international students?

Recently, the United States government has put an indefinite hold on any immigrant visa approvals for nationals of 75 countries, as well as all visas for 39 countries. The news has caused a lot of uncertainty amongst anyone looking to travel to the United States, whether for work, study or even tourism.

This new blanket visa ban is significant for international education, as some of the countries it applies to constitute large audiences for US study. Nigeria, for example, is one of the top 10 sources of international students in the US.

We look at what the newest United States travel ban means for students, as well as how students from Nigeria are reacting to the news.

What is the United States travel ban?

The United States government implemented an immediate immigrant visa processing freeze for nationals of 75 countries, as well as a blanket visa ban for nationals of 39 countries effective from 21 and 1 January 2026 respectively.

Countries included in the original list of 75 can still travel to the United States as tourists or students, but this isn’t the case for the latter list of 39, which includes countries like Nigeria and Iran.

This ban only applies to new visa applications, so foreign nationals who currently hold immigrant, work or student visas won’t have their visas revoked, and they may still leave and re-enter the United States, albeit at their own risk.

What does the United States travel ban mean for international students?

A range of non-immigrant visas like the F-1 student visas, H-1B and L-1 work visas, and B-1 and B-2 tourists visas are included in this travel ban. This means that international students from any country on the travel ban list won’t be approved for a student visa in the United States while the ban lasts.

While current F-1 student visa holders won’t be have their visas revoked over this ban, a USCIS policy memo states that any pending benefit applications for nationals of these countries will be put on hold. This means that international students from countries on the travel ban list are unlikely to be approved for any extensions or changes to their visa status – for example, students applying for OPT (Optional Practical Training) – while this hold is in place.

Due to the extra scrutiny being applied to anyone entering the United States from the countries on the ban list, current visa holders might not want to risk travelling outside of the US to visit family, either.

How are Nigerian students reacting to the United States travel ban?

Nigeria is one of the countries included in the list of 39 subject to the blanket visa suspension, meaning Nigerian students currently cannot get an F-1 visa to study in the US.

Just like we saw with India earlier in the year, this sudden visa regulation change has led to a massive shift in sentiment for Nigerian students when it comes to studying in the United States.

According to our data, Nigerian student search interest in the USA has dropped more than 50% since the visa processing freeze announcement on 17 December 2025. 

“Whilst a lot of the focus during the latter part of 2025 has been on India and the impact of post-study work visa changes, this latest change shifts attention to pre-study and the fundamentals of being able to travel to the USA as a student. We now see Nigerian audiences turning away from a US education system they can no longer enter under this ban. “
Mark Bennett, VP of Research & Insight at Keystone Education Group

It’s not just Nigeria, either. Following this expanded travel ban, there’s been a much wider change when it comes to interest in studying in the United States, with overall low confidence in US visa and entry requirements going up by a third, from 14% to 21%. 

Where are Nigerian students going instead?

It is a truth universally acknowledged that students who want, and can, move abroad to study will be looking at alternative destinations when their first option becomes unavailable or undesirable. 

So which destinations are Nigerians looking at?

Expected: Nigerian student interest in the rest of the Big 4 rises

Logically, students looking move to the United States to undertake a degree taught in English will seek out similar opportunities.
After Nigerian student interest in the United States dropped by 50%, interest from that cohort rose in the rest of the Big 4 - first to Australia (21%), then the UK (5%) and lastly, Canada (2%).

Unexpected: Nigerian students are increasingly looking to study in France, Italy and China

The unexpected development, however, has been a rise in Nigerian student interest outside of the Big 4, particularly in France, Italy and China.

Between the tail-end of December and the beginning of January, France saw an increase in search of 40%, and Italy wasn’t too far behind with an increase of 33%. 

The most surprising development, however, was a 17% increase in Nigerian student searches for China. 

“These announcements don’t discourage Nigerians from studying abroad, but they will prompt them to look for opportunities elsewhere. Crucially, that doesn’t have to mean elsewhere in the Big 4. The fact that we’re seeing growth in search for Europe and China indicates the extent to which international search trends are shifting along with the poles of international study.”
Mark Bennett, VP of Research & Insight at Keystone Education Group

What happens next for international students looking to study in the United States?

Nigeria is only one of 39 countries affected by the new United States immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing freeze. The issuance of new student visas has been suspended for all countries on the list, so any student hailing from those countries who might have wanted to study in the US will now need to look elsewhere if they still want to study abroad. 

And while we can’t make any promises, as interest in study destinations outside of the Big 4 continues to rise overall, we may start seeing a much more diverse spread of international student applications across Europe and Asia. 

If you’re a higher education institution outside of the United States looking to recruit more international students in 2026, it might be worth considering the countries on this list before solidifying your regional targeting strategy.