State Department Suspends Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries
Effective January 21, 2026, the State Department indefinitely paused the issuance of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries on the stated basis of foreign nationals potentially being a “high risk” of becoming a Public Charge. This announcement only impacts the issuance of immigrant visas by US consulates, and does not impact non-immigrant visas including employment-based visas, tourist visas, and student visas. Dual nationals from countries not on the list below are exempt from the immigrant visa suspension.
Countries Subject to the Immigrant Visa Processing Suspension
The following 75 countries are subject to the suspension of immigrant visa processing:
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, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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.
The countries in bold text were previously not included in the administration’s full and partial travel ban list.
Immigrant visa applicants should continue to submit visa applications and attend immigrant visa interviews. However, processing of these applications will be indefinitely paused. There has been no guidance on how long this pause will be in effect.
Public Charge Inadmissibility as the Basis for the Visa Pause
Public Charge is a statutory ground for inadmissibility found in the Immigration and Nationality Act. Public Charge is not specifically defined, but is a case-by-case analysis that requires a totality-of-circumstances assessment that includes factors such as age, health, family status, financial assets, and education or skills. As broadly reported in the media, the State Department issued a non-public internal cable in November 2025 that advised consular officers to broaden the range of health conditions in a Public Charge assessment, consider health conditions of non-applicant family members, and consider English language proficiency.
Please contact a member of the Mintz Immigration Team for more information: https://www.mintz.com/industries-practices/immigration.
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