State Department suspending immigrant visas for 75 countries
Matthew Lee for the Associated Press reports on a jarring development. "The State Department said [today] it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and Somalia, whose nationals the Trump administration has deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States."
The State Department said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the 75 countries consistent with an order issued in November that tightened rules around prospective immigrants likely to become "public charges" in the United States. The suspension of immigrant visas for citizens of these nations apparently will end individualized review of their visa applications to determine whether the individual will likely become a public charge.
The suspension begins January 21 and will not apply to applicants seeking nonimmigrant visas, such as tourist or business visas. Demand for nonimmigrant visas is expected to rise with the upcoming 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics in the United States.
The State Department will suspend immigrant visas for applicants from the following countries:
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Bhutan
Bosnia
Brazil
Burma
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Colombia
Congo
Cuba
Dominica
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Fiji
Gambia
Georgia
Ghana
Grenada
Guatemala
Guinea
Haiti
Iran
Iraq
Ivory Coast
Jamaica
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kosovo
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Lebanon
Liberia
Libya
Macedonia
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
Pakistan
Republic of the Congo
Russia
Rwanda
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Senegal
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Syria
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Tunisia
Uganda
Uruguay
Uzbekistan and
Yemen
Update (1/15 11:30 PST): State Department guidance on the "pause."
