State Department Indefinitely Halts Visa Processing for 75 Countries
Visa applications from citizens of 75 nations, including Somalia, Haiti, and Sudan, will go nowhere under a new State Department rule.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates,” the State Department posted on X.
“The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the post added.
“The pause impacts dozens of countries — including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea — whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival,” a companion post noted.
“We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”
The pause impacts dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival.
We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.
— Department of State (@StateDept) January 14, 2026
“The Trump Administration will always put America First,” the agency added.
Reagan Reese, a reporter with the Daily Caller, said on X that an internal investigation from the State Department revealed that the “vast majority of Somali migrants take welfare once present in the United States.”
“For years, foreign nationals from Somalia have entered the United States and extracted wealth from the American taxpayer, including by taking welfare at obscene rates. The Trump administration is exercising the State Department’s long-standing authority to end this abuse of our immigration system,” State Department Principal Deputy Spokesman Tommy Pigott told Reese.
The pause begins Jan. 21, according to Fox News, and will continue indefinitely until the State Department conducts a reassessment of visa processing.
In November, the State Department ordered offices to step up screening to enforce what are called “public charge” provisions, which essentially mean that visas would generally be denied to those likely to end up on public benefit programs.
Screening under those standards looks at factors such as health, age, proficiency in English, finances, potential need for long-term care, and past use of benefit programs.
“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,” 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,” the statement added.
The long-standing Immigration and Nationality Act allows screening on the basis of likelihood to end up on welfare. President Donald Trump expanded the definition in 2019 before the Biden administration cut back on reasons to deny a visa.
Every visa decision must be made with the American people in mind- it is unacceptable for guests in our country to abuse the public trust and drain public resources.
President Trump continues to put Americans first, fixing the broken immigration status quo and delivering…
— Department of State (@StateDept) November 7, 2025
The full list of countries 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.
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