WASHINGTON: The United States has announced a sweeping suspension of immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, significantly expanding President Donald Trump’s renewed immigration crackdown. A State Department spokesperson confirmed on Wednesday that the pause will take effect from January 21 as Washington reassesses immigration vetting and eligibility procedures.
The suspension spans regions across Latin America, South Asia, the Balkans, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean. Countries affected include Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia, Albania, and dozens of others.
State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the move relies on the government’s authority to deny entry to applicants deemed likely to become a “public charge.”
“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,” Pigott said.
He added that immigrant visa processing from the 75 countries will remain paused while the department reviews safeguards to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who may rely on welfare and public benefits.
The suspension does not apply to non-immigrant or visitor visas, which remain unaffected as the United States prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The decision follows a November directive instructing U.S. diplomats to ensure visa applicants are financially self-sufficient and unlikely to depend on government subsidies, according to a State Department cable reviewed earlier.
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has pursued an aggressive immigration enforcement agenda, deploying federal agents to major U.S. cities and tightening screening standards. While the administration has emphasized curbing illegal immigration, critics argue that legal immigration pathways have also been sharply restricted through higher fees, including for H-1B visas, expanded social media vetting, and stricter background checks.
The State Department said this week that more than 100,000 visas have been revoked since Trump took office.
David Bier, Director of Immigration Studies at the Cato Institute, criticized the move, saying it represents the most restrictive legal immigration policy in modern U.S. history and could block nearly half of all legal immigrants, turning away an estimated 315,000 people over the next year.
Trump has defended the policy by pointing to years of high levels of illegal immigration under former President Joe Biden. During the campaign, he vowed a tougher stance on migration, including a November pledge to “permanently pause” migration from what he described as “Third World Countries” following a deadly shooting near the White House involving an Afghan national.
The countries affected by the suspension include 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.
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