DECEMBER 15, 2025

Story by Simon Calder

If you’ve flown the Atlantic to the US, perhaps you know the feeling: you’re exhausted after a long flight – and you might then spend an hour or more lining up for American immigration.

Edinburgh airport aims to solve that problem, by clearing transatlantic passengers through US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) formalities while they’re still on Scottish soil.

Preclearance is already in effect at nine Canadian airports, Dublin and Shannon in Ireland, Abu Dhabi in the UAE and the island nations of Aruba, the Bahamas and Bermuda.

To bring the facility to the UK requires a deal to be struck between governments. Edinburgh airport CEO Gordon Dewar told The Independent: “If the two governments can find that common ground, and can sit in a room and sign the agreement, we’ll be starting the build the next day.”

So how does preclearance work – and what are its benefits? These are the key questions and answers.

What is preclearance?

“The strategic stationing of CBP personnel at designated foreign airports to inspect travellers prior to boarding US-bound flights,” says the American agency.

From the passenger’s point of view, you turn up at your departure airport for the US, check in as normal and go through security. But then there’s a second security search and a US national border, staffed by American officials.

The officer at the desk will process you into the United States. You then step aboard your flight, and when you arrive in America instead of going through the usual formalities you’re treated as a domestic arrival – and can leave the airport, or transfer to another flight, immediately. Your luggage can connect through to your final destination without the need to pick it up and re-check it.

The closest the UK gets to anything similar is for travellers from England to France. There are “juxtaposed” border controls at the port of Dover, the Folkestone Eurotunnel terminal and London St Pancras, the Eurostar station. Travellers pass through French frontier controls and are treated as though they’re actually in France before they board a ferry or train.

How is the Dublin experience?

An entire mini-terminal is devoted to transatlantic travellers. From my experience it works extremely smoothly. Unlike on arrival at the US, when 300 people turn up at passport control all at once on a plane, there is a smooth flow of passengers and rarely any significant queues.

Many people from outside Ireland like the idea, and fly into Dublin specifically to preclear. The Irish airline Aer Lingus and Dublin airport are big beneficiaries.

Gordon Dewar, chief executive of Edinburgh airport, says he’s keen to emulate the success of the Irish capital: “I suspect Dublin has twice as many American routes as it would have without preclearance. That’s exactly why we think it would be incredibly powerful for Edinburgh, and we are pursuing it.”

Is there a race among UK airports to attract preclearance?

There certainly was prior to the pandemic. In particular, Heathrow was working towards the goal, because it has far more US flights than any other airport in Europe. Yet with airports making huge losses during Covid, the appetite appears to have subsided – because there are large costs involved. Heathrow’s transatlantic flights are spread across terminals 2, 3 and 5, with duplicate facilities required at each. Manchester airport does not detect much of an appetite for preclearance among airlines.

The other player is London Gatwick, which has the same owner as Edinburgh airport: Vinci Airports. It could be that the Scottish and English capitals work together through the tangle of red tape that needs to be addressed.

How soon could it happen?

Years rather than months. Once an intergovernmental agreement is signed, there needs to be more work with Customs and Border Protection and also the Transportation Security Administration.

So if a deal can be struck in 2026, it might be the summer of 2028 when you’re cleared to arrive in the US before you’ve even left Scotland.

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DECEMBER 17, 2025

Net migration to the UK could rise to about 300,000 by the end of the decade, a leading government adviser has said.

Prof Brian Bell, the chair of the migration advisory committee, said the overall migration figure would jump “in the medium term” from the current level of 204,000 as the numbers of overseas students and workers rose again.

Keir Starmer’s election manifesto pledge is to reduce net migration, as Labour heads towards a general election campaign where immigration is expected to be a major issue.

Bell’s comments also reinforce a prediction by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which suggested last month there could be a rise before the end of the decade.

“I might expect a bit of a bounceback that’s consistent with what the OBR predict in their economic and fiscal outlook. They expect it to return to more like 300,000 in the medium term and I think that’s a reasonable prediction,” Bell said.

Net migration peaked at a record 944,000 in the year to March 2023, due to a surge of foreign workers encouraged to come to the UK by Boris Johnson’s government as the UK emerged from the Covid pandemic, but has fallen sharply since then.

Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures last month showed there was a 69% drop, from 649,000, in the number of people immigrating minus the number of people emigrating in the year to June 2025.

Just under 900,000 people immigrated to the UK between July 2024 and June 2025, down more than 400,000 on the year before. At the same time, 693,000 people emigrated from the UK, up by 43,000 on the previous year.

Bell’s comments have emerged as the committee publishes two reports on Wednesday. It also predicted that people allowed to move to the UK to live with their partners will cost the economy £5.6bn over their lifetimes

About 51,000 people entered the UK in 2022-23 as partners under family visas, entitling them to live and work here. More than half were unemployed and it was projected that over the course of their lifetime each individual would have a “net fiscal cost” of £109,000. the government “to do more” to halt the abuse of nannies, housekeepers, chauffeurs and personal carers brought into the UK on overseas domestic worker visas. According to the the committee’s annual report: “The scale of exploitation and abuse on the ODW [overseas domestic workers] route is unknown and we do not suggest that all 

“Nevertheless, we know that abuse and exploitation does occur, and that the route as currently constituted allows employers who wish to behave in this way to operate more or less unchecked.”

It added: “Enforcement on the route is difficult for practical and operational reasons, but more could be done if the government wants to reduce the risks of exploitation.”

Earlier this month, the committee said it had estimated the lifetime fiscal contribution of the cohort of skilled workers who arrived in 2022-23. They are expected to make a net positive contribution of about £47bn to the public finances over their lifetimes.

This estimate is after factoring in the long-term use of public services by migrants who stay and settle in the UK with their families.

DECEMBER 17, 2025

By Tosin Oyediran

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a proclamation further restricting entry to the United States for nationals from countries deemed high-risk due to “demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” that threaten U.S. national security and public safety.

Among the 15 additional countries newly subject to partial restrictions is Nigeria.

The announcement comes directly from the White House website, in a fact sheet titled “President Donald J. Trump Further Restricts and Limits the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” issued December 16, 2025.

Trump had earlier on October 31 declared Nigeria as a ‘country of particular concern’ in response to allegations of a Christian genocide in the country.

So This Happened (EP 357) reviews: LASU ‘terror prank’ triggers backlash and campus restrictions 0:00 / 1:01

Giving the reason for adding Nigeria to the list, the US stated, “Radical Islamic terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State operate freely in certain parts of Nigeria, which creates substantial screening and vetting difficulties”.

According to the Overstay Report, Nigeria had a B-1/B-2 visa overstay rate of 5.56 percent and an F, M, and J visa overstay rate of 11.90 per cent.

The White House described the action as “strengthening national security through common sense restrictions based on data.”

The proclamation continues full restrictions and entry limitations on nationals from the original 12 high-risk countries under Proclamation 10949: Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen.

It also adds full restrictions and entry limitations on five additional countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, and Syria, along with individuals holding Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. Laos and Sierra Leone, previously subject to partial restrictions, now face full restrictions.

Nationals from Burundi, Cuba, Togo, and Venezuela remain under partial restrictions.

The Proclamation adds partial restrictions and entry limitations on 15 additional countries, including Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

The fact sheet notes that “exceptions for lawful permanent residents, existing visa holders, certain visa categories like athletes and diplomats, and individuals whose entry serves U.S. national interests” are included.

It also states that family-based immigrant visa carve-outs that carry “demonstrated fraud risks” have been narrowed, while case-by-case waivers remain possible.

In explaining the rationale, the White House fact sheet emphasises that the Proclamation is necessary “to prevent the entry of foreign nationals about whom the United States lacks sufficient information to assess the risks they pose, garner cooperation from foreign governments, enforce our immigration laws, and advance other important foreign policy, national security, and counterterrorism objectives.”

The fact sheet quotes Trump directly: “It is the President’s duty to take action to ensure that those seeking to enter our country will not harm the American people.”

It adds that, after consultations with cabinet officials and assessments based on Executive Order 14161, Proclamation 10949, and country-specific information, “President Trump has determined that the entry of nationals from additional countries must be restricted or limited to protect U.S. national security and public safety interests.”

The restrictions are country-specific “in order to encourage cooperation with the subject countries in recognition of each country’s unique circumstances,” the fact sheet says, highlighting challenges such as “widespread corruption, fraudulent or unreliable civil documents and criminal records, and nonexistent birth-registration systems—systemically preventing accurate vetting.”

Some countries, it notes, “refuse to share passport exemplars or law-enforcement data,” while others allow Citizenship-by-Investment schemes that conceal identity and bypass vetting requirements.

The fact sheet also cites “high visa-overstay rates and refusal to repatriate removable nationals” and the presence of “terrorist, criminal, and extremist activity” in several restricted countries.

The White House fact sheet frames the move as part of President Trump’s ongoing national security agenda: “President Trump is keeping his promise to restore travel restrictions on dangerous countries and to secure our borders.”

It references the Supreme Court’s prior ruling on similar restrictions, noting that the Court found the policy “is squarely within the scope of Presidential authority” and that it is “expressly premised on legitimate purposes”—specifically “preventing entry of nationals who cannot be adequately vetted and inducing other nations to improve their practices.”

Finally, the fact sheet notes that Turkmenistan, which previously faced restrictions, has made progress in cooperation with the U.S., prompting the new Proclamation to lift the ban on its nonimmigrant visas while maintaining the suspension of entry for Turkmen nationals as immigrants.

DECEMBER 22, 2025

Air Peace and Overland Airways have announced the resumption of daily return flights between Ibadan and Abuja from December 24, 2025, following the reopening of Ibadan Airport to commercial operations. 

Air Peace said the move was aimed at restoring seamless air access for travellers in Oyo State and neighbouring areas, with the airline responding to renewed passenger demand for direct connectivity to the nation’s capital.

The airline said fares on the route will start from N95,000, positioning the service as an affordable option during the festive rush and beyond. 

The Ibadan, Abuja return is part of Air Peace’s wider domestic expansion, which includes the resumption of Warri flights and additional frequencies across its network to manage increased yuletide traffic and sustain growth into 2026. 

Backed by the recent addition of a third Embraer 190 aircraft to its fleet, Air Peace reaffirmed its commitment to improving connectivity, easing travel stress and supporting economic activity through reliable air transport services.

Overland said the resumption of flight operations between Ibadan and Abuja, followed the reopening of the airport.

Chief Operating Officer of Overland Airways, Mrs. Aderonke Emmanuel-James, described the development as a significant milestone, noting that the airline is the pioneer operator on the Ibadan route.

DECEMBER 23, 2025

By Saheed Oyelakin

The United States Department of Homeland Security has announced a limited-time incentive aimed at encouraging undocumented migrants to voluntarily leave the country during the holiday season.

In a statement released on its website on Monday, DHS said undocumented migrants who register to self-deport through the CBP Home app by the end of the year will receive a $3,000 stipend, in addition to a free flight to their home country.

The department said participants in the programme would also qualify for the forgiveness of any civil fines or penalties related to failure to depart the United States.

According to DHS, since January 2025, about 1.9 million undocumented migrants have voluntarily left the country, with tens of thousands using the CBP Home programme.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the incentive had been temporarily increased during the Christmas season.

“Since January 2025, 1.9 million illegal aliens have voluntarily self-deported, and tens of thousands have used the CBP Home program.

“During the Christmas season, the US taxpayer is so generously tripling the incentive to leave voluntarily for those in this country illegally—offering a $3,000 exit bonus, but just until the end of the year,” Noem said.

“Illegal aliens should take advantage of this gift and self-deport because if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return,” she added.

Guided by a Donald Trump presidential proclamation, Homeland Security established “Project Homecoming” in May 2025.

“The American people are generously offering illegal aliens $1,000 and a free flight to self-deport now,” it announced. To pay for the flights and “exit bonuses,” the State Department repurposed $250 million intended to help resettle refugees.

The department described self-deportation through the CBP Home app as a fast and free process, requiring individuals to download the app and submit their information, after which DHS would arrange and cover the cost of travel.

DHS warned that undocumented migrants who fail to take advantage of the offer would face arrest and deportation, with permanent restrictions on re-entry into the United States.

DECEMBER 24, 2025

President Donald Trump on Monday reiterated that the United States needed Greenland for "national security" after his appointment of a special envoy to the Danish Arctic island triggered a new spat with Copenhagen.

Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has repeatedly said the United States "needs" the resource-rich autonomous territory for security reasons and has refused to rule out using force to secure it.

Trump on Sunday appointed Louisiana governor Jeff Landry as special envoy to Greenland, prompting anger from Denmark, which summoned the US ambassador.

"We need Greenland for national security. Not for minerals," Trump told a news conference in Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday.

"If you take a look at Greenland, you look up and down the coast, you have Russian and Chinese ships all over the place," he said.

"We need it for national security. We have to have it," the president said, adding that Landry "wanted to lead the charge".

On his appointment, Landry immediately vowed to make the Danish territory "a part of the US".

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen earlier Monday said in a joint statement that Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.

"You cannot annex another country," they said. "We expect respect for our joint territorial integrity."

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said he was "deeply angered" by the move and warned Washington to respect Denmark's sovereignty.

The European Union later offered its "full solidarity" to Denmark.

The Danish foreign minister earlier told TV2 television the appointment and statements were "totally unacceptable" and, several hours later, said the US ambassador had been called up to the ministry for an explanation.

"We summoned the American ambassador to the foreign ministry today for a meeting, together with the Greenlandic representative, where we very clearly drew a red line and also asked for an explanation," Lokke Rasmussen told public broadcaster DR in an interview.

- Strategic location -

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa stressed on social media that territorial integrity and sovereignty were "fundamental principles of international law".

Leaders of both Denmark and Greenland have repeatedly insisted that the vast island is not for sale and that it will decide its own future.

Most of Greenland's 57,000 people want to become independent from Denmark but do not wish to become part of the United States, according to an opinion poll in January.

Lokke Rasmussen said Trump's appointment of a special envoy confirmed continued US interest in Greenland.

"However, we insist that everyone -– including the US –- must show respect for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," he said in a statement emailed to AFP.

Washington argues Greenland, located between North America and Europe, can give it an economic edge over its rivals in the Arctic region.

The island has untapped rare earth minerals and could be a vital player as the polar ice melts and new shipping routes emerge.

Greenland's location also puts it on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States.

The United States has its Pituffik military base in Greenland and opened a consulate on the island in June 2020.

In August, Denmark summoned the US charge d'affaires after at least three US officials close to Trump were seen in Greenland's capital Nuuk trying to find out how people felt about deepening US ties.

Trump's determination to take over Greenland has stunned Denmark, a fellow member of NATO that has fought alongside the US in its wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In January, Copenhagen announced a $2.0-billion plan to boost its military presence in the Arctic region.

DECEMBER 26, 2025

• U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Donald Trump instructed her to suspend the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the diversity visa (DV1) program.
• Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, is suspected of being the shooter who killed two students and wounded nine others at Brown University on Saturday.
• Valente entered the U.S. through the DV1 program in 2017 and was granted a green card, according to Noem.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she was suspending the diversity visa program, saying the man suspected of killing two students at Brown University had been granted one.

Noem posted to X late Thursday that she had instructed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to pause the (DV1) program “to ensure no more Americans are harmed by this disastrous program.”

On Dec. 13, two students died and nine others were injured when someone opened fire at the physics building at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. Police later identified Portuguese national Claudio Manuel Neves Valente, 48, as the suspect.

Valente was a former student at the university and had been enrolled in a Ph.D program in physics in 2000, the university’s president, Christina H. Paxson, said. Valente is also suspected of having killed MIT physics professor Nuno Loureiro in his home in Brookline, Massachusetts, two days after the Brown shooting. 

Valente was found dead in a New Hampshire storage facility on Thursday, Providence Chief of Police Oscar Perez said.

“There’s no longer a threat to the public,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston said in a statement after Valente’s death was confirmed.

Noem said that Valente entered the U.S. through the DV1 program in 2017 and was granted a green card. 

“In 2017, President Trump fought to end this program, following the devastating NYC truck ramming by an ISIS terrorist, who entered under the DV1 program, and murdered eight people,” she wrote on X.

The Diversity Immigrant Visa Program (DV Program) allocates up to 50,000 immigrant visas every year, according to the USCIS website.

The program is a lottery. Visas are randomly allocated to individuals from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.

DECEMBER 26, 2025

(Bloomberg) -- Hundreds of flights have been canceled at New York’s major airports as a significant winter storm descends on the city and neighboring regions.

New York City is in line to get 5 to 9 inches (13 to 23 cm) of snow between 4 p.m. Friday to 1 p.m. Saturday, local time, according to the National Weather Service.

More than 1,000 flights across the US had been canceled as of 10 a.m. New York time on Friday, according to the FlightAware website. Roughly half of those were clustered around flights coming into or leaving New York City’s three major airports – LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark. Detroit and Boston airports also saw cancellations and delays.

New York City issued a travel advisory for the duration of the storm as cold temperatures limit snowmelt, increasing the risk of slippery and hazardous road conditions.

A winter storm warning stretched from NYC to northeast New Jersey and into the Lower Hudson Valley and parts of Long Island and Connecticut, according to the National Weather Service. Some areas could see snowfall top 10 inches in the heaviest bands, the agency said.

“Road conditions will be treacherous for those traveling back from the holiday,” the weather service said.

While winter weather can lead to soaring demand for electricity — crimping power supplies — so far, grids aren’t showing signs of stress. Still, the colder temperatures are helping to lift prices for US natural gas, used as a fuel for home heating. Futures rose as much as 3.3% on Friday.

Other parts of the country are also seeing weather-related travel disruptions.

A combination of freezing rain, sleet and snow will create hazardous travel conditions from the Great Lakes into New England and the mid-Atlantic through Saturday morning, according to the weather service.

The upper Midwest may see “a swath of snow and ice blossoming” Friday morning before a clipper system bumping up against a high pressure system in eastern Canada feeds cold air south over the border, bringing precipitation.

Later this weekend, a potentially stronger cold front will move across the Northeast, including the Washington area, which could lead to blustery conditions during the last few days of the year. Parts of western Pennsylvania is under threat of an ice storm, which could cause power outages and make travel hazardous.

(Updates with latest forecasts, travel delays starting from the third paragraph.)

DECEMBER 26, 2025

Madlin Mekelburg

(Bloomberg) -- A federal judge said the Trump administration can move ahead with a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa applications, providing a setback for US technology companies that rely on hiring skilled foreign workers.

US District Judge Beryl Howell said in a ruling Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s effort to radically increase the cost of the popular visa is lawful. The decision gives a boost to the administration’s campaign to restrict immigration and push demand for US workers. The US Chamber of Commerce, which sued to block the proposal, can appeal.

Howell rejected the Chamber’s argument that Trump doesn’t have the power to impose the fee, finding that his proclamation was issued under “an express statutory grant of authority to the President.”

Congress has given the president broad authority that he used to address “in the manner he sees fit, a problem he perceives to be a matter of economic and national security,” she wrote.

Daryl Joseffer, the Chamber’s executive vice president, said in a statement the $100,000 fee makes H-1B visas cost prohibitive.

“We are disappointed in the court’s decision and are considering further legal options to ensure that the H-1B visa program can operate as Congress intended: to enable American businesses of all sizes to access the global talent they need to grow their operations,” Joseffer said.

The Chamber, the nation’s largest business lobbying group, argued in its October lawsuit that raising the fee is unlawful because it overrides federal immigration law and exceeds the fee-setting authority afforded by Congress.

A group of 19 state attorneys general also is challenging Trump’s proclamation. Their lawsuit focuses on the projected impact to the public sector, particularly in the fields of health care and education, that also rely on the H-1B visa program. A separate suit was filed by a global nurse-staffing agency.

The ruling Tuesday, a so-called summary judgment that doesn’t require a trial, doesn’t have an impact on the other lawsuits, meaning another judge could still block the new visa fee in the months to come. The other cases include a suit filed in Massachusetts earlier this month by more than a dozen mostly Democratic-led states, as well as a suit filed in October in California by a global nurse-staffing agency and several unions.

Both of the other cases are also being handled by Obama appointees, and neither judge has yet ruled on any requests for injunctions against the rule. A hearing in the California case is set for Feb. 12 in Oakland. The dispute is likely to ultimately be resolved by the US Supreme Court.

The H-1B visa program is a cornerstone of employment-based immigration, allowing companies in the US to hire college-educated foreign workers for specialized occupations. In September, Trump signed a proclamation to increase the application fee to discourage companies from abusing a program that he claimed displaces US workers.

It’s a stark shift from America’s historical stance toward immigration. Since its founding, the US has welcomed people from diverse countries and economic backgrounds who come to the US in search of a better life and more freedom.

Yet while Trump and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick have mused about the prospects of a windfall for the US Treasury that could total $100 billion or more, immigration attorneys have cautioned that an increase in cost of this magnitude would cause major disruptions that would be likely very expensive to the US economy.

“This puts a chilling effect on America’s employers,” said Michael Wildes, a managing partner at the New York-based immigration law firm Wildes and Weinberg PC. “How can you make America great by taking away the talent pool?” Wildes noted that “it’s a limiting law in that America will skip a beat. There will be a generation of talent out there in the world that will go to other countries. We will be missing an opportunity and that is foolhardy.”

Also on Tuesday, the US Department of Homeland Security said it will replace the lottery for choosing H-1B visa applicants with a weighted selection to overcome wage arbitrage and incentivize American employers “to petition for higher-paid, higher-skilled foreign workers.” There are also proposals being considered to impose a wage floor.

H-1B visas are awarded based on a lottery system, but are used primarily in the tech industry. Amazon, Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Microsoft, Meta Platforms Inc. and Apple Inc. are among the companies with the greatest number of H-1B visas, according to the US government.

The visa fees will shape hiring efforts, but affect some jobs and companies more than others, said Alexis DuFresne, founder of recruiting firm Archer Search Partners, which specializes in recruitment for alternative financial asset managers.

For “superstars” in highly-paid, specialized roles, or for jobs that generate a lot of revenue, organizations will be willing to pay the $100,000 fee, she said.

But the high cost will change how people making hiring decisions approach looking for employees in more run-of-the-mill jobs, DuFresne said. “If you’re going to search, you’re going to tell the search people ‘Don’t look globally for me. Look domestically for me,’” she said of such common jobs.

Likewise, organizations with offices around the world will be able to respond to the recruitment costs by shifting where they hire, according to DuFresne. “The firms that it’s going to affect the most are the smaller firms,” she said.

The tech industry has been adapting to changes in US immigration rules for a while now as political currents shift.

Alphabet Inc.’s Google is taking steps to help move employees off of H-1B visas and onto more permanent status. The company recently told staff it will be “ramping up” PERM applications next year for eligible employees, Business Insider reported, taking a crucial step to securing a green card, which allows them to live and work permanently in the US.

Beyond the US tech companies, the action also hits India hard, as Indians have been the biggest beneficiaries of the H-1B visa program. In addition to the extra costs that Indian IT companies will bear for thousands of employees on such visas, the ongoing unpredictability has unnerved many Indian professionals working in US tech, finance, health care and other industries, especially after the recent mass postponement of work-visa appointments.

The case is Chamber of Commerce vs. US Department of Homeland Security, 25-cv-03675, US District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).

--With assistance from Jake Bleiberg, Erik Larson and Patrick Howell O'Neill.

(Updates with expert comments in 14th paragraph. An earlier version corrected the name of visa in the ninth paragraph.)

DECEMBER 29, 2025

By : Olusegun Koiki

Nigeria’s aviation and travel industry faces heightened tension as the United States moves to enforce new visa restrictions on Nigerian nationals from January 1, 2026.

Experts in the sector said that the restriction would, unfortunately, lead to a sharp decline in passenger traffic on the Nigeria-U.S. routes.

The visa measures, which affect both immigrant and non-immigrant categories, have already triggered uncertainty among intending travellers, with airlines and travel operators warning that reduced approvals and longer processing timelines could significantly impact flight demand.

There are two United States carriers- United Airlines and Delta Air Lines operating scheduled direct flight services into Nigeria.

The two airlines jointly operate 17 weekly frequencies between Nigeria and the U.S. and shared 207,340 passengers between them in 2024, according to the executive summary on international and domestic flight operations for 2024, obtained from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

For instance, Delta Air Lines operates 14 weekly frequencies into Nigeria with Lagos-Atlanta and Lagos-New York routes, seven weekly frequencies each.

The airline ferried about 160,399 passengers between the two countries in 2024, statistics obtained from the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

Also, United Airlines operates three weekly flights into Lagos airport from Washington-Dulles.

For its 2024 service, the airline transported 47,340 passengers between the two countries.

Commenting on the issue, the Managing Director of Travelden, a subsidiary of Finchglow Holdings Ltd, Gbenga Onitilo, in an interview with The Guardian, said that the development was bound to ripple through airlines operating direct services between Nigeria and the United States.

Onitilo explained that visa uncertainty, reduced demand and elongated processing cycles would hit passenger load factors and weaken route economics for airline operators.

According to him, Trans-Atlantic flights are capital-intensive and rely on strong, predictable passenger flows, particularly from business travellers, students and members of the diaspora.

Also, the Director, Research, Zenith Travels, Olumide Ohunayo, in an interview with The Guardian, said that like every other country which had placed a visa ban on Nigeria, the Nigerian carriers would be the major losers of the ban.

According to him, established foreign carriers, either operating directly or indirectly to the U.S., would have less pressure due to their extensive networks and status. However, he noted that at present, Nigeria does not have any carrier on the U.S. route.

He explained that the visa ban would lead to a reduction in the number of passengers flying to the U.S, while the sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would also drop.