The U.S. State Department has ordered an indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals from 75 countries, launching a sweeping review aimed at preventing the entry of applicants deemed likely to become dependent on public assistance.
Per FOX News, an internal State Department memo shows consular officers have been instructed to refuse immigrant visas under existing law while the department reassesses how public charge standards are being applied.
The pause is set to take effect on Jan. 21 and will remain in place until the review is completed.
Among the countries affected are Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, alongside dozens of others across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
The directive follows renewed emphasis on the “public charge” provision of U.S. immigration law, which allows officials to deny visas to applicants likely to rely on government benefits.
The U.S. State Department has ordered an indefinite suspension of immigrant visa processing for nationals from 75 countries, launching a sweeping review aimed at preventing the entry of applicants deemed likely to become dependent on public assistance.
Per FOX News, an internal State Department memo obtained by Fox News Digital shows consular officers have been instructed to refuse immigrant visas under existing law while the department reassesses how public charge standards are being applied.
The pause is set to take effect on Jan. 21 and will remain in place until the review is completed.
Among the countries affected are Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, alongside dozens of others across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Asia and the Caribbean.
The directive follows renewed emphasis on the “public charge” provision of U.S. immigration law, which allows officials to deny visas to applicants likely to rely on government benefits.
A separate State Department cable circulated worldwide in November 2025 instructed diplomatic posts to apply expanded screening criteria when evaluating immigrant visa applicants.
Under that guidance, consular officers are required to assess a broad range of factors, including an applicant’s age, health, English proficiency, financial resources, employment prospects, prior receipt of government assistance and potential need for long-term medical care.
Applicants who are older, overweight, or who have previously relied on cash assistance or institutional care may be denied visas under the standard.
“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 has drawn particular scrutiny amid a major fraud investigation centered in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered large-scale abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Federal officials have noted that many individuals implicated in those cases were Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
While the public charge rule has existed in U.S. immigration law for decades, its enforcement has fluctuated significantly across administrations, historically leaving consular officers with wide discretion.
The Trump administration broadened the rule in 2019 to include a wider array of public benefits, though parts of that expansion were later blocked by the courts and ultimately rescinded under the Biden administration.
Under the Biden-era framework introduced in 2022, public charge determinations were narrowed largely to cash assistance and long-term institutional care, excluding benefits such as Medicaid, housing vouchers, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and WIC.
The Immigration and Nationality Act continues to authorize visa denials on public charge grounds, and the current pause represents a renewed effort to standardize enforcement across diplomatic posts.
State Department officials indicated that exemptions during the suspension will be “very limited” and granted only after applicants have cleared public charge concerns.
The full list of countries affected includes: 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.
THE THIRD FORCE
Reference: FOX News
