In a highly dramatic turn of events, the U.S. immigration policy has been changed, and to this end, the State Department has declared an indefinite halt to the processing of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, effective January 21, 2026.
Consequently, this will bring to an abrupt end the issuance of green cards and pathways of family reunification to millions of would-be migrants. The policy that is being highly talked about and has been criticized by the affected nations as well as the global advocacy groups is based on a very strict interpretation of the “public charge” rule.
The U.S. authorities will not accept the applications for immigrant visas from the aforementioned countries. Instead, they will wait until the department is able to come up with better screening methods that will ensure financial self-sufficiency of the applicants and that the applicants will not rely on American public benefits. The halt is without an end date, and there is no specific timeline for the regular processing to be resumed.
The list of countries affected by this decision encompasses various continents and includes countries such as Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Sudan, Thailand, and Yemen, as well as many others.
The analysts believe that the expanse of the action is one of the largest immigration enforcement measures in modern U.S. history, and it will directly impact family-based, employment-based, and diversity visa categories for thousands of applicants.
Opponents of the measure claim that the suspension is a disguised ban for many countries and will separate families and potential workers who have already spent years in the visa processing. Legal and diplomatic confrontations are anticipated by the advocacy groups as embassies start to carry out the suspension.
In a very uncommon respite for East Africa, Kenya—together with neighboring Burundi—has been taken off the ban list. Citizens of Kenya will still have the option to apply for immigration visas in accordance with the existing process, a move that regional analysts have interpreted as a signal of the U.S. and Kenya’s close friendship and of the country’s pivotal place in Horn of Africa diplomacy and security.
The Trump administration has characterized the policy as a part of overall immigration reform and fiscal discipline, claiming that the pause is unavoidable in order to prevent the United States’ welfare systems from being abused. On the contrary, critics argue that it discriminates against and punishes developing countries while hurting the legal immigration flows that have been established.
The halt is not applicable to non-immigrant visas, such as those for tourism, business, or studying; however, it has already started to raise the alarm and prompt urgent consultations between foreign governments and the U.S. State Department as the global concern about the policy’s human and diplomatic impact grows.
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