The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has terminated its partnership with OIS Services, ending the company's role as Nigeria's visa application service provider in the United States.
The decision takes immediate effect, requiring visa applicants in the US to submit their applications directly to Nigerian diplomatic missions instead of using OIS-operated Visa Application and Submission Centres.
The announcement was contained in a statement issued on Thursday, 9 July 2026, and signed by the Service Public Relations Officer, DCI Akinsola Akinlabi.
For several years, OIS Services served as an intermediary between visa applicants and the Nigerian government, receiving application documents, biometric data and processing fees before forwarding them to the Nigerian Embassy and Consulates for visa processing and approval.
With the termination of the arrangement, all visa applications must now be submitted directly to the Embassy of Nigeria in Washington, D.C., or the Nigerian Consulates in New York and Atlanta.
The Nigeria Immigration Service did not state the reason for ending the contract or indicate whether another visa application service provider would be appointed.
The change is expected to have the greatest impact on applicants living outside Washington, D.C., New York and Atlanta, where Nigeria maintains its diplomatic missions.
Previously, OIS-operated centres made the application process more accessible by reducing the need for long-distance travel. Under the new arrangement, applicants in other parts of the United States may have to travel to one of the Nigerian missions to complete their visa applications.
The development is likely to affect more than 400,000 Nigerians resident in the United States, as well as foreign nationals seeking Nigerian visas, with applicants expected to face some inconvenience during the transition.
Despite the operational changes, the NIS said the Nigerian Embassy and Consulates have put measures in place to ensure that visa application services continue without disruption. However, the Service did not provide details of the revised application process or whether additional appointment systems or online procedures would be introduced.
Applicants have been advised to monitor official communications from the Nigeria Immigration Service and Nigeria's diplomatic missions in the United States for updated guidance on visa application procedures.
The Immigration Service also urged individuals who had already commenced visa applications through OIS Services to contact the Nigerian Embassy or the appropriate Consulate directly for instructions on completing their applications.
As OIS Services is no longer authorised to receive visa submissions, applicants have been advised not to visit its centres expecting their applications to be processed.
The move follows a pattern seen in several countries that have reviewed, replaced or discontinued agreements with third-party visa service providers for operational, contractual or service delivery reasons.
Until any new outsourcing arrangement is announced, all Nigerian visa applications in the United States will be processed directly through the country's Embassy and Consulates.
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