Trump Freezes All Visa Processing For 75 Countries: The Full List
The US government announced Wednesday it will pause or suspend immigrant visa issuance for 75 countries, with Iran among the countries listed, at a moment President Trump is said to be mulling some kind of US military intervention after two weeks of protests - but which largely seemed to have died down at this point.
The new visa pause order will take effect January 21, and will also impact Iraq, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt and Nigeria, and dozens of others.
"The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people," State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement.
"Immigration 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." Somalia and Minnesota should of course come to mind in this context.
A State Dept memo "directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures."
According to Fox News, the full list of countries includes the following in alphabetical order...
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.
Some of these countries have been focus of geopolitical headlines of late - such as Nigeria, Somalia, and Syria - all subject to bombings of military operations by US forces.
But it's unclear why some like the Bahamas, Georgia, or Modolva would make the list. Presumably this also impacts Americans who have married or gotten engaged to someone abroad, and where said US citizen wants to bring them to the United States. But it's unclear as yet whether there will be exceptions made for certain categories of visas.
Already, visa services at embassies abroad have been very slow moving under Trump, but this ensures what will be a likely permanent backlog.