The United States will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries beginning January 21, according to announcements by the State Department, marking an expansion of the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration restrictions.
The pause applies only to immigrant visas and will not affect nonimmigrant categories such as tourist or business travel, officials said, as the administration moves to reassess procedures tied to public assistance concerns.
The State Department said consular officers have been instructed to halt immigrant visa applications from countries whose nationals are deemed more likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
The directive follows a broader order issued in November that tightened enforcement of existing “public charge” rules under U.S. immigration law.
“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,” the department said in a statement.
Officials said visa processing from the affected countries will remain paused while the department reviews screening procedures, though no time frame for completion was provided.
The department did not immediately release a full list of countries, but officials and reports identified Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Somalia, Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand, and Egypt among those affected.
The move builds on earlier restrictions that had already sharply limited immigrant and nonimmigrant visa services for dozens of countries, many of them in Africa.
The reported pause comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown pursued since President Donald Trump returned to office last year.
In November, Trump said he would “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries” following a deadly shooting near the White House by an Afghan national.
The State Department said Monday it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump’s return, while the Department of Homeland Security reported more than 605,000 deportations and 2.5 million voluntary departures.
For Russia, the suspension adds to years of curtailed services, after most visa operations at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow were cut in 2021.
Russian citizens seeking nonimmigrant visas have been directed to Poland or Kazakhstan for interviews, while immigrant visa applicants were required to appear in Warsaw.
Officials emphasized that the latest action does not affect tourist, business, or other temporary visas, even as the administration has vowed to expand vetting of applicants’ backgrounds.