A federal judge struck down a policy enacted by the Trump administration that made it harder for immigrants from 39 countries to enter the U.S. or obtain final approvals on immigration benefits. Nigeria and 38 other countries were affected by the policy, and immigrants from these nations will benefit from the ruling. Countries facing partial restrictions include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cuba, Côte d’Ivoire, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Countries facing total restrictions include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Myanmar, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. According to fiduciaryservicesltd.com, the policy categorically barred immigrants from 39 countries, including Nigeria, from receiving final approvals on green cards, citizenship, work permits, and asylum applications. The same source reported that over 179,000 Nigerians had completed interviews, paid fees, and submitted documents but had their applications untouched for months. According to fiduciaryservicesltd.com, U.S. District Chief Judge John McConnell Jr. declared the policy 'contrary to law and arbitrary and capricious' and ordered USCIS to resume processing and issuing final decisions on Nigerian applications.