Washington, Jan 14 (.) The US State Department is set to temporarily halt immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries as it tightens enforcement of laws designed to prevent new arrivals from becoming dependent on public assistance, according to an internal memo seen by Fox News.
The pause, which is due to take effect on January 21, will apply while the department reviews and updates its screening and vetting standards.
Consular officers have been instructed to deny visas under existing legal authority during the review period, which has no specified end date, while any exemptions granted will be “very limited” and only after applicants clear so-called “public charge” considerations.
Countries reportedly affected include Somalia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Rwanda, Sudan, Bhutan, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, among dozens of others.
The move revives a contentious area of US immigration law. The Immigration and Nationality Act has long allowed officials to reject visa applicants deemed likely to become a “public charge,” but enforcement has varied widely across administrations.
Under President Donald Trump’s first term, the definition was expanded in 2019 to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion was challenged in court and later rolled back under the Biden administration.
A 2022 version of the rule narrowed the scope to focus mainly on cash assistance and long-term institutional care, excluding programmes such as food assistance, healthcare coverage and housing vouchers.
The new pause signals a shift back toward stricter interpretation, with consular officers now directed to apply the standard more aggressively. The reported suspension comes amid a broader immigration crackdown triggered by Trump, who returned to office last January.
In November, Trump pledged to “permanently pause” immigration from what he called “Third World Countries” following a shooting near the White House involving an Afghan national that killed a National Guard member.
Somalia has drawn particular scrutiny after a major fraud investigation in Minnesota alleged widespread misuse of taxpayer-funded assistance programmes, with prosecutors claiming many suspects were Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
While officials have not linked the visa pause directly to that case, it has featured prominently in political debate around public benefits and immigration. The policy builds on guidance issued in November 2025, when the State Department circulated a cable urging consular posts worldwide to apply the public charge provision more strictly.
Under the updated approach, officers are instructed to assess factors such as an applicant’s age, health, financial resources, English proficiency and likelihood of requiring long-term medical care.
Applicants who are older, have serious health conditions or a history of receiving government cash assistance could face heightened scrutiny or denial. While officials frame the measure as a review rather than a ban, immigration advocates warn it could amount to an indefinite freeze for thousands of families and significantly reshape legal immigration flows from large parts of the developing world.
. . .