US Suspends Immigrant Visas for 75 Countries Over Public Assistance Concerns

The United States has announced an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, expanding previous immigration restrictions from the Trump administration.

This pause affects visas for people moving to the US for work or to join family. Tourist and student visas are not affected, so travelers attending events like the upcoming World Cup in the US will still be able to enter.

The suspension will start on January 21, according to a US official. It follows last year’s “public charge” guidance, which increases scrutiny on applicants who might rely on public assistance.

State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the pause is meant to prevent entry of immigrants who might depend on welfare or public benefits. He explained that the State Department will use its authority to block applicants who could become a “public charge.”

Many of the countries affected were already part of the administration’s broader travel ban list.

The full list of affected countries includes: 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, 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.