The US State Department is permanently stopping the processing of applications for immigrant visas for individuals from 75 nations.
When the agency announced the action on X on Wednesday, it presented it as a part of an attempt to prevent those who might need public assistance from entering the United States.
The US State Department said, “The State Department will halt the processing of visas for immigrants from 75 nations whose citizens receive welfare from Americans at unacceptable rates.”
The department stated in another post that “The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival.”
The freeze will continue to be in effect until the United States can guarantee that new immigrants will not steal wealth from the American people. We are striving to ensure that the American people’s generosity will no longer be exploited.
In addition to the four named by the State Department in its announcement, the countries reportedly include 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, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, 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, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
The suspension will start on January 21. Applications for non-immigrant, business, or tourist visas will not be affected.
The State Department instructed consular staff in November to refuse visas to applicants who were judged likely to depend on public benefits due to their age, health, financial status, language proficiency, and other characteristics.
The actions are a part of the Trump Administration’s broader initiatives to limit legal immigration to the United States in addition to its vigorous campaign against illegal immigration.
Following the arrest of an Afghan national as the suspected gunman in the November shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., the Administration increased these efforts by, among other things, suspending asylum decisions, initiating a “reexamination” of green cards issued to individuals from various nations, and extending a travel ban to include citizens of 39 countries.
The Administration’s travel ban already included some of the nations affected by the department’s most recent visa suspension.