{"id":122691,"date":"2025-10-02T02:23:29","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T01:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=122691"},"modified":"2025-10-02T02:23:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T01:23:29","slug":"us-embassy-assures-visa-passport-services-amid-partial-shutdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/us-embassy-assures-visa-passport-services-amid-partial-shutdown\/","title":{"rendered":"US Embassy Assures Visa, Passport Services Amid Partial Shutdown"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"m#msg-f:1844806522706157446\" class=\"mail-message expanded\">\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1844806522706157446-header\" class=\"mail-message-header spacer\" style=\"text-align: left;\">By Lizzy Chirkpi<\/div>\n<div id=\"m#msg-f:1844806522706157446-content\" class=\"mail-message-content collapsible zoom-normal mail-show-images \">\n<div class=\"clear\">\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The United States Embassy in Nigeria has moved to calm fears among Nigerians that the ongoing partial shutdown of the US government could disrupt consular operations.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">In a statement shared on its official X handle on Wednesday, the embassy confirmed that visa and passport services would continue despite funding challenges in Washington.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">\u201cDue to the lapse in appropriations, this X account will not be updated regularly until full operations resume, with the exception of urgent safety and security information,\u201d the notice read.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">It added: \u201cAt 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.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The clarification comes after concerns mounted among Nigerians\u2014particularly students and prospective travelers\u2014that the shutdown might stall visa processing and other essential services.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">While the embassy stressed that consular functions remain operational, it noted that its social media platforms would only post critical safety alerts until government funding is restored.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The shutdown, which began after US President Donald Trump and lawmakers failed to reach a budget compromise, has forced several federal agencies to suspend operations. The deadlock reportedly centers on Democratic demands for healthcare funding, which Republicans strongly oppose.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">Defending the closure, Trump suggested it could help him eliminate Democratic-linked programs. Essential services such as the military, postal operations, and welfare schemes like Social Security and food stamps remain unaffected.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">However, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that up to 750,000 federal employees risk being furloughed without pay each day until a funding deal is struck.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">This is the first US government shutdown since the record-breaking 35-day closure nearly seven years ago, during Trump\u2019s first term. Since 1976, the US has experienced 21 shutdowns triggered by budget disputes between Congress and the White House.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: left;\">The embassy urged Nigerians seeking updates on consular services, including visa appointments and passport processing, to rely on\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/travel.state.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=http:\/\/travel.state.gov&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1759431007179000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2-lzRxpsyrEZOJ9_-UtBbA\">travel.state.gov<\/a>\u00a0for verified information.<\/div>\n<div id=\"m_-4107743615579059301ymail_android_signature\" style=\"text-align: left;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lizzy Chirkpi The United States Embassy in Nigeria has moved to calm fears among Nigerians that the ongoing partial shutdown of the US government could disrupt consular operations. In&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":93953,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-122691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>US Embassy Assures Visa, Passport Services Amid Partial Shutdown - Pointblank News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/us-embassy-assures-visa-passport-services-amid-partial-shutdown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"US Embassy Assures Visa, Passport Services Amid Partial Shutdown - Pointblank News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Lizzy Chirkpi The United States Embassy in Nigeria has moved to calm fears among Nigerians that the ongoing partial shutdown of the US government could disrupt consular operations. 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