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The Trump administration sent a cable to all US diplomatic posts on Friday, asking them to stop processing US visas for all Afghan nationals.
The State Department reiterated that “Final Action Dates” remain the primary reference point for applicants filing for adjustment of status with USCIS — unless the agency specifically announces otherwise.
New Delhi,UPDATED: Nov 30, 2025 11:06 IST
US President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered its diplomats worldwide to stop processing visas for Afghan nationals, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters, effectively suspending the special immigration program for Afghans who helped the United States during its 20-year-long occupation of their home country.
The cable, sent to all US diplomatic posts on Friday, says that effective immediately, consular officers are instructed to reject any immigrant or non-immigrant visa applications from Afghan nationals, including applicants for Special Immigrant Visas.
On Wednesday, a former member of one of Afghanistan's CIA-backed units was accused of shooting two US Guard soldiers in Washington, DC One of them later died.
The State Department on Saturday referred Reuters to a statement on platform X by Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday in which he said, opens new tab that "ALL individuals" travelling on Afghan passports would have their visa issuance "paused."
The cable on Friday, which was earlier reported by the New York Times, said the move to stop processing visas for Afghan nationals was aimed at "ensuring the applicant's identity and eligibility for a visa under U.S. law."
A volunteer group helping support the United States' Afghan allies said the cable was part of an effort by the Trump administration to bar all Afghans from making it to the United States.
"There is no doubt this is the outcome they have been driving toward for months," Shawn VanDiver, president of Afghan Evac, said in an email.
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Appointments already scheduled for Afghan applicants will not be cancelled. But when they occur, consular officers should refuse to give a visa to applicants, the cable said. The State Department said that any authorised visas that have not been printed yet should be reversed and cancelled, while printed visas should be destroyed, and those cases amended in the system and rejected.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services had already halted processing of Afghan nationals' immigration requests indefinitely earlier this week.
Since returning to the office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritised immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and turning away asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. The flurry of promised restrictions since the attack on Wednesday now suggests an increased focus by his administration on legal immigration.
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Published By:
Akash Chatterjee
Published On:
Nov 30, 2025
