US Suspends immigrant visa processing: Shared by Sharif Alam

US suspends immigrant visas for 75 countries: Who's affected?

Elizabeth Melimopoulos

Al Jazeera

January 15, 2026

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Summary

The United States will suspend processing of immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries beginning January 21, 2026. 

The countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday are:

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.

The suspension only applies to permanent immigration visas, not temporary tourist or business visas. The State Department said the pause follows a November order tightening checks on potential immigrants who could become a financial burden on the US. 

Applicants from affected countries may still submit applications and schedule interviews, but no immigrant visas will be approved or issued during the pause with no indicated deadline for when it might be lifted. 

Dual nationals applying with valid passports from non-listed countries are exempt. 

The move comes five months before the US co-hosts the FIFA World Cup with Canada and Mexico. 

By early December 2025, Trump's Department of Homeland Security reported deporting over 605,000 people while another 1.9 million "self-deported," resulting in net negative immigration for the first time in 50 years according to Brookings Institution analysis. 

The administration previously imposed a full travel ban on 12 countries in June and announced the lowest refugee admissions cap in US history at 7,500 for fiscal year 2026.

Quotes

"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. Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits."