The US State Department will suspend processing of immigrant visas for people from 75 countries, including Brazil, Thailand, Somalia and Afghanistan, from January 21.
The US State Department, led by Marco Rubio , says it is suspending immigration visa processing from citizens of 75 countries, starting next week.The US is suspending processing for immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, including Thailand, Nigeria and Brazil.
It will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of people seeking visas to the US.abc.net.au/news/us-suspend-immigrant-visa-processing-75-countries/106230746The United States will suspend processing for immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries as part of Washington's intensifying immigration crackdown, a State Department spokesperson says The pause, which will affect applicants from countries including Somalia, Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Yemen, Thailand and Brazil, will begin next week on January 21.Mean tweets about US policy might mean no trip to Disneyland, under a new proposal that would see Australians provide their social media history for the past five years. It will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, or temporary tourist or business visas, who make up the vast majority of people seeking visas to the US. "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," Tommy Pigott, principal deputy spokesperson at the State Department said. "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." The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it had instructed consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications from the countries affected in accordance with a broader order issued in November that tightened rules about potential immigrants who might become "public charges" in the US.Demand for non-immigrant visas is expected to rise dramatically in the coming months and years due to the upcoming 2026 men's Football World Cup, which the US is co-hosting, and the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. "The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America's immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people," the department said in a statement. "Immigrant visa processing 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 decision comes hours after Donald Trump said he was confident the suspect behind the shooting of two National Guard soldiers in Washington was from Afghanistan. Mr Trump's administration has already severely restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for citizens of dozens of countries, many of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The November guidance on which the latest decision was based directed US embassy and consulate officials to comprehensively and thoroughly vet visa applicants to demonstrate that they would not need to rely on public benefits from the government any time after their admission to the US. While federal law already required those seeking permanent residency or legal status to prove they wouldn't be a public charge, Mr Trump, in his first term, widened the range of benefit programs that could disqualify applicants, and the guidelines in the cable appear to go further in scope. Immigrants seeking entry into America already undergo a medical exam by a physician who has been approved by a US embassy. They are screened for communicable diseases, like tuberculosis, and asked to disclose any history of drug or alcohol use, mental health conditions or violence.The November directive expanded those with more specific requirements.Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, 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 It said consular officials must consider a range of specific details about people seeking visas, including their age, health, family status, finances, education, skills and any past use of public assistance, regardless of the country. It also said they should assess applicants' English proficiency, and could do so by conducting interviews in English. Experts said it could further limit who gets to enter the country at a time when the Republican administration is already tightening those rules.Mr Trump has pursued a sweeping immigration crackdown since returning to office. His administration has aggressively prioritised immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major US cities and sparking violent confrontations with both migrants and US citizens. While he campaigned on stopping illegal immigration into the United States, his administration has made legal immigration more difficult, for example, by imposing new and expensive fees on applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers.US Citizenship and Immigration Services says it has begun "a full-scale, rigorous re-examination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern". "This administration has proven itself to have the most anti-legal immigration agenda in American history," David Bier, Cato's Director of Immigration Studies and The Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy, said in a statement. "This action will ban nearly half of all legal immigrants to the United States, turning away about 315,000 legal immigrants over the next year alone." The State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Mr Trump took office, it said on Monday. The administration has also adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.
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