Trump Administration To PAUSE Immigrant Visa Processing From 75 Countries — Indefinitely
The Trump administration will pause immigrant Visa processing from seventy-five (75) countries, including Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more, until the United States can ensure that incoming immigrants will not become a public charge or extract wealth from American taxpayers.
In a memorandum first seen by Fox News Digital, the State Department has directed Consular Officers to refuse Visas under existing law, while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.
The guidance instructs Consular Officers to deny Visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors, including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.
Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of Government cash assistance or institutionalization.
The pause will begin on 21st January, 2026 and will continue indefinitely until the reassessment of immigrant Visa processing is conducted.
In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed Consular Officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called “public charge” provision of immigration law.
State Department Spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement, “The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people.”
Piggott added, “Immigration from these seventy-five (75) countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
Exceptions to the new pause will be “very limited” and only allowed after an applicant has cleared public charge considerations.
The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted Consular Officers to deem applicants inadmissible on public charge grounds. However, President Donald Trump expanded the definition in 2019 to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion was challenged in Court, with portions ultimately blocked before being rescinded by the Joe Biden administration.
The full list of countries comprises the following:
- Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, 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.
More on this as it becomes available.
This is a developing story - refresh this page for updates.
[Source: Fox News]
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