- Nigeria, Ghana Affected While South Africa Is Exempted
- Policy Takes Effect January 21; Will Bring An End To “Abuse Of The System”-State Department
The Donald Trump administration is placing an indefinite pause on immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, further restricting the legal routes for entering the US.
The State Department on Wednesday said the administration wants to bring “an end to the abuse” of the system “by those who would extract wealth from the American people” by using welfare and public benefits.
President Trump has been seeking to limit both illegal and legal crossing into the US since returning to office, and his administration has already halted immigrant visa processing for people from Brazil, Iran, Russia and Somalia.
The order takes effect on 21 January.
“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,” said Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy spokesperson for the US State Department.
The department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, will pause the visa processing while it reassesses its procedures “to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits”, Piggott added.
According to the Associated Press, the State Department has instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the affected countries. But the suspension will not apply to non-immigrant, temporary tourist, or business visas.
In recent months, the State Department has increased restrictions on migration from countries Trump has deemed a threat to national security, including Russia, Iran and Afghanistan and several countries in Africa.
After an immigrant from Afghanistan was charged in November in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, the administration banned or limited the entry of nationals of 19 countries. In December, it expanded the travel ban to people from five additional countries and those travelling on Palestinian Authority-issued documents.
Asylum cases, citizenship processing and green card applications for immigrants from the initial 19 countries in the ban have also been paused.
The sweeping list cuts across every major region of the world, spanning countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Exceptions include dual nationals with a valid passport for a country not on the list or if the applicant is able to demonstrate their travel would service an “America First” national interest.
If a visa has already been approved but the visa has not been printed the consular officer “must refuse the case”.
Here is the full list, which includes war-torn nations, US allies, and countries with long-standing migration ties to America.
- Afghanistan
- Albania
- Algeria
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahamas
- Bangladesh
- Barbados
- Belarus
- Belize
- Bhutan
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Brazil
- Myanmar
- Cambodia
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Colombia
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Fiji
- The Gambia
- Georgia
- Ghana
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Haiti
- Iran
- Iraq
- Jamaica
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Liberia
- Libya
- North Macedonia
- Moldova
- Mongolia
- Montenegro
- Morocco
- Nepal
- Nicaragua
- Nigeria
- Pakistan
- Republic of the Congo
- Russia
- Rwanda
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Tanzania
- Thailand
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Uruguay
- Uzbekistan
- Yemen
