Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has agreed to receive third country nationals from the United States or is close to finalizing an agreement. Local media outlets reported that the Sierra Leone government approved a contract with Kenvah Solutions (SL) to provide services to third country nationals who arrive through the agreement, including reception and temporary accommodations, funded by 1.5 million from the U.S. government. 

As of January 21, 2026, Trump administration paused all visa insurances to nationals from Sierra Leone. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Trump administration formally requested Sierra Leone accept third country nationals as a condition for lifting the visa ban, which it has yet to do. 

Following the controversial 2023 elections in Sierra Leone, the Biden administration announced visa restrictions for those responsible for or complicit in undermining democracy in Sierra Leone, including electoral manipulation or rigging, intimidation of voters, observers, or civil society through threats or violence, or related human rights abuses. Human rights violations in Sierra Leone include arbitrary or unlawful killings, harsh and life-threatening prison conditions, and arbitrary arrest or detention. In late 2025, the Trump administration pledged $129 million dollars in funding to Sierra Leone’s public health system, which may have influenced negotiations over the third country national deportation agreement.

Sierra Leone’s asylum system is limited in scale and capacity. The country hosts a small number of refugees and asylum seekers, primarily from neighboring West African states. Refugees and asylum seekers face uncertainty in Sierra Leone regarding legal status and access to employment, increasing their vulnerability to exploitation.