US suspends immigrant visa processing for 75 countries

By Ethan Jaffri, Asst. News Editor

The State Department has suspended immigrant visa processing for 75 countries as of Jan. 21, 2026.  The pause on visa processing comes out of concerns of immigrants reaping “welfare and public benefits,” according to PBS, with department spokesperson Tommy Piggott claiming that immigrants are a “public charge” to the country. The State Department deems immigrants a strain on the country’s financial resources. Eligibility for public assistance comes through permanent resident cards known as green cards. Despite federal concerns of immigrants taking public benefits, the benefits do not come instantly – green card holders are met with a waiting period of five years before they are eligible for public assistance, according to The American Immigration Council.

There are many different kinds of visas, including work, tourism, family visitation and more. The suspension “does not impact student or tourist visas” according to CNN. The demand for tourist visas is expected to increase as the United States is co-hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. However, the State Department reported that 100,000 visas were revoked in 2025. The visas were revoked “for criminal offenses ranging from driving under the influence to theft.” Despite student and work visas not being included in the suspension, thousands have been revoked by holders. 

Visa processing has been suspended for the following countries: 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, North 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.

Around 315,000 legal immigrants will be turned away over the course of this year, according to David Bier, the Cato Institute’s Director of Immigration Studies and the Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy. The Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) Rep. Grace Meng calls on Senator Marco Rubio and Senator Kristi Noem to reverse the suspension: “The Trump administration’s decision to halt visas for nearly 40% of the world is ignorant and xenophobic. They have the audacity to tell immigrants to come here the ‘right way,’ while deliberately closing legal pathways that make that possible.”