Kuwait, Pakistan, Bangladesh among 75 nations targeted by US for immigration visa suspension

As part of its intensifying immigration crackdown, US President Donald Trump’s administration is suspending processing for immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, a State Department spokesperson said.

The pause, which will impact applicants from Latin American countries including Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay, Balkan countries such as Bosnia and Albania, South Asian countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, and other nations in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, will begin on January 21.

The move does not impact US visitor visas, which have been in the spotlight given the United States is hosting the 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.

A State Department cable outlining the move and seen by Reuters said the Department was undergoing a “full review” of all policies, regulations and guidance to ensure “the highest level of screening and vetting” for all US visa applicants.

The cable, sent to US missions, said there were indications that nationals from these countries had sought public benefits in the United States.

“Applicants from these countries are at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States,” said the cable outlining the move and reviewed by Reuters.

“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 at the State Department.

“Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”

Countries affected

The list of countries that will be impacted by the suspension are:

• Afghanistan
• Albania
• Algeria
• Antigua and Barbuda
• Armenia
• Azerbaijan
• Bahamas
• Bangladesh
• Barbados
• Belarus
• Belize
• Bhutan
• Bosnia
• Brazil
• Cambodia
• Cameroon
• Cape Verde
• Colombia
• Democratic Republic of the Congo
• Cuba
• Dominica
• Egypt
• Eritrea
• Ethiopia
• Fiji
• The Gambia
• Georgia
• Ghana
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guinea
• Haiti
• Iran
• Iraq
• Ivory Coast
• Jamaica
• Jordan
• Kazakhstan
• Kosovo
• Kuwait
• Kyrgyzstan
• Laos
• Lebanon
• Liberia
• Libya
• North Macedonia
• Moldova
• Mongolia
• Montenegro
• Morocco
• Myanmar
• 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
• Yemen

The decision follows a November directive to US diplomats asking them to ensure that visa applicants are financially self-sufficient and do not risk becoming dependent on government subsidies during their stay in the US, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters at the time.

The cable directed US consular officers to refuse any applicants whose visas have been “print-authorized” but have not been printed, or those that have been printed but have not left the consular section.