US Suspends Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries

Update, 2 September 2026: this suspension is no longer in effect. On 21 August, Judge Jeannette A. Vargas (Southern District of New York) struck down the immigrant visa pause targeting 75 countries in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al., ruling it exceeded the Secretary of State's authority; the State Department confirmed on 28 August that the measure "has not been in effect since August 21". However, on 25 August the State Department suspended immigrant visa interviews worldwide while consular officers are trained on the new "public charge" rules: appointments are being cancelled and rescheduled with no resumption date announced, affecting around 200,000 applicants. Non-immigrant visas (tourism, business, H-1B, etc.) are not affected. Finally, on 28 August, Judge Edward J. Davila (Northern District of California) blocked, in Medani et al. v. Trump et al., the freeze on the Diversity Visa DV-2026 lottery and ordered the State Department and USCIS to resume processing; the DV-2026 fiscal year ends on 30 September and any visas not issued by then will be lost. The article below is kept as originally published in January 2026.

The US Department of State has announced an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries, effective January 21. This measure aims to reassess entry procedures and visa issuance for the affected nationalities.

Broad Scope of the Suspension

The freeze affects a wide range of countries, including Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, and Yemen. According to an internal US State Department memo, consular officers have been instructed to deny visas under existing law while the administration reviews control methods.

New Screening Criteria for Applicants

The updated entry conditions under the new directive are stringent. Consular officers will assess applicants based on several factors to determine the likelihood of entry denial, including:

• Health and age

• English language proficiency and personal financial means

• Welfare history: prior use of government financial assistance or prior institutionalization will be penalized

A full list of the 75 nationalities has been released. Citizens of the following countries are now subject to the new policy:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte 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, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, 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.