Which Countries Are Affected By US Immigrant Visa Suspension? Check Full List

Last Updated:January 15, 2026, 09:04 IST

The US State Department has announced that it is pausing processing for applicants from 75 countries, including Somalia, Iran, Russia, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The US State Department has announced that it is pausing processing for applicants from 75 countries as part of a renewed effort to block entry to people deemed likely to rely on public welfare benefits, including Somalia, Russia, Iran and Pakistan.

“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," the Department of State said on X.

A State Department spokesperson told Reuters that the pause will come into effect from January 21. The move reflects stricter enforcement of the “public charge" provision of US immigration law, which allows authorities to deny entry to individuals considered likely to depend on government assistance.

Full List Of Countries

Among the countries where visa processing has been halted are Somalia, Afghanistan, Russia, Pakistan, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen. India has been notably excluded from the list – a move seen by analysts as an institutional signal of Washington’s trust in Indian applicants.

This move comes amid a sweeping crackdown pursued by US President Donald Trump since assuming the presidency in January last year. He had vowed to “permanently pause" migration from all “Third World Countries" after a shooting near the White House in November that killed a Guard personnel.

According to Fox News, the full list of countries affected by the State Department’s visa suspension include:

AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAntigua and BarbudaArmeniaAzerbaijanBahamasBangladeshBarbadosBelarusBelizeBhutanBosniaBrazilBurmaCambodiaCameroonCape VerdeColombiaCote d’IvoireCubaDemocratic Republic of the CongoDominicaEgyptEritreaEthiopiaFijiGambiaGeorgiaGhanaGrenadaGuatemalaGuineaHaitiIranIraqJamaicaJordanKazakhstanKosovoKuwaitKyrgyzstanLaosLebanonLiberiaLibyaMacedoniaMoldovaMongoliaMontenegroMoroccoNepalNicaraguaNigeriaPakistanRepublic of the CongoRussiaRwandaSaint Kitts and NevisSaint LuciaSaint Vincent and the GrenadinesSenegalSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth SudanSudanSyriaTanzaniaThailandTogoTunisiaUgandaUruguayUzbekistanYemen

Impact Of Visa Suspension

The effort comes months before the United States is set to co-host the 2026 World Cup, with nearly 2 million tickets sold to fans around the world, according to ABC News. The Trump administration previously said “any athlete or member of an athletic team, including coaches, persons performing a necessary support role, and immediate relatives, traveling to the World Cup" would be exempt from travel bans.

The suspension of immigrant visas will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of visa seekers, the State Department said.

While Trump has campaigned on stopping illegal immigration into the United States, his administration has also made legal immigration more difficult. One notable example is the imposition of a $100,000 fee on H-1B visas for highly skilled workers.

The State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office, it said on Monday. The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.

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