US halts immigrant visa processing for seventy-five nations
“The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the department stated on US social media platform X.
The pause affects countries including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea, whose immigrants are considered more likely to rely on public assistance upon arrival. The State Department did not release a complete list of all affected nations.
According to reports, consular officers have been instructed to refuse visas under current law while screening and vetting procedures are reassessed. The suspension could impact nationals from Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia, Brazil, Egypt, Russia, Nigeria, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, and Haiti, among others, and may begin as soon as January 21.
The decision follows remarks by President Donald Trump in November, calling for a pause on immigration from “all Third World Countries” to allow the US system to “fully recover” after two National Guard members were shot and an Afghan national was named a suspect.
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