The United States has long rejected visas from people who appear likely to end up needing government welfare, but the State Department said it would now use the same authority for a blanket suspension of immigrant visas based on nationality.
The Donald Trump administration has indefinitely suspended the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries in one of its most expansive efforts yet to restrict legal entry pathways to the United States. The freeze would take effect on January 21 and target individuals based on their nationality, encompassing countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe.
Pakistan, Bangladesh, Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, and Thailand are among the affected countries.
The move applies only to people seeking to live and work permanently in the US, not tourists or temporary workers, according to reports. Team Trump has already imposed stricter vetting rules for foreigners and would-be residents over the past year, layering new restrictions onto a visa-screening system long considered among the most stringent in the world.
Why The US Suspended Visas For 75 Countries
The United States has long rejected visas from people who appear likely to end up needing government welfare, but the State Department said it would now use the same authority for a blanket suspension of immigrant visas based on nationality.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said.
“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” he said.
The freeze has no set time for it to end, a US official told news agency AFP.
The administration’s claims that immigrants drain government resources run counter to studies from the Cato Institute, the American Immigration Council and other groups that have found immigrants use fewer benefits than US-born Americans.
Who Will Not Be Affected
The latest move does not affect tourist, business or other visas, including for soccer fans seeking to visit for this year’s World Cup, although the Trump administration has vowed to vet all applicants’ social media histories.
Exceptions will also be granted to people with dual nationality and a valid passport for a country not on the list, or if the applicant is able to demonstrate their travel would serve an “America First” national interest. If a visa has already been approved, but it has not been printed, the consular officer “must refuse the case,” according to a cable issued by the US State Department.
The new restriction is expected to hit family-based immigration hardest, affecting spouses, children and other immediate relatives of primarily US citizens who would otherwise be eligible for permanent residency.
Full List Of Countries US Halted Visa Processing For
- 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
- The 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
- Pakistan
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Rwanda
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
Trump’s Immigration Crackdown
Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration by people who are not of European descent. He has described Somalis as “garbage” who should “go back to where they came from” and instead said he was open to Scandinavians moving to the United States.
The State Department said Monday that it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump’s return, a one-year record.
The Department of Homeland Security last month said that the Trump administration has deported more than 605,000 people, and that 2.5 million others left on their own.
