The U.S. State Department Stopped Issuing Immigrant Visa for Nationals of 75 Countries.
By C. Matthew Schulz
The U.S. Department of State instructed consular officers to stop the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries in a January 14, 2026 cable to all diplomatic and consular posts. Immigrant visa interviews and adjudications continue, but prospecitve immigrants from the listed countries cannot receive newly issued immigrant visas at this time. See full text of the cable courtesy of the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Know the important exceptions that allow dual nationals, US national interest immigrants, and certain others to continue to immigrate even during this pause.
The directive builds on earlier internal guidance results in administrative refusals while DOS reviews its public charge screening procedures in an effort to strengthen financial self-sufficiency screening in the immigrant visa process.
Policy
The State Department directed consular officers worldwide to pause the issuance of immigrant visas to nationals of 75 specified countries. The policy took effect on January 21, 2025 and remains in place until further notice.
Importantly, the pause does not stop immigrant visa processing entirely. Consular posts must still schedule interviews, review applications, and evaluate eligibility under all applicable provisions of the Immigration and Nationality Act. If an applicant is not otherwise ineligible, the officer must refuse the application under INA §221(g), which places the case into administrative processing rather than issuing the visa.
In practical terms, the policy allows cases to move through the adjudication process but prevents consular posts from printing or issuing the visa foil.
Reason for the Policy
The cable states that the Department is conducting a comprehensive review of visa screening and vetting procedures related to the public charge ground of inadmissibility under INA §212(a)(4). According to the Department, nationals of the listed countries present an elevated risk of seeking public benefits in the United States.
The guidance references the Administration’s broader policy goal that immigrants admitted to the United States should be financially self-sufficient.
Consular officers are instructed to carefully evaluate each applicant’s financial circumstances and overall likelihood of becoming a public charge.
The Department also notes that the pause allows time to develop improved tools, policies, and operational guidance to help consular officers more accurately assess public charge risk.
Countries Affected by the Pause
The directive applies to immigrant visa applicants who are nationals of the following countries:
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Bhutan
Bosnia
Brazil
Burma
Cambodia
Cameroon
Cape Verde
Colombia
Côte d’Ivoire
Cuba
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Dominica
Egypt
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Fiji
The 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
Yemen
Consular Processing Instructions
Despite the pause on visa issuance, consular officers must continue conducting immigrant visa interviews and adjudicating applications. Officers are instructed to first evaluate all traditional grounds of inadmissibility and carefully document their analysis in the case record.
If the officer determines that an applicant is likely to become a public charge, the officer should refuse the visa under INA §212(a)(4) and record detailed case notes explaining the decision. When no other ground of ineligibility applies, however, the officer must refuse the application under INA §221(g) while the Department completes its policy review.
The cable instructs officers to include the internal case note hashtag #4AIVPause for cases subject to the issuance pause. These refusals function as administrative processing rather than final denials.
The Department also clarified that consular posts should continue requesting documents necessary to resolve potential eligibility issues. However, time-limited documents such as police certificates or medical exams are not required solely for a case that is being held under the issuance pause.
See also the SchulzLaw article Where is My Green Card.
Handling Public Charge Determinations
The guidance provides additional direction for cases involving potential public charge concerns. If a consular officer initially refuses an application under INA §212(a)(4) and the applicant later provides evidence that overcomes that finding, the officer should clear the public charge refusal in the system.
Even in that situation, however, the officer must still refuse the case under INA §221(g) because the visa issuance pause remains in effect. The Department instructs officers to document the sequence of events in detail and continue tagging the case with the designated internal marker.
This approach ensures that the Department continues gathering information about applicants’ financial circumstances while withholding final visa issuance.
Exceptions
The cable also outlines several limited exceptions and special procedures.
Dual Nationals
Dual nationals who apply using a passport from a country not listed in the directive are not subject to the pause and may proceed to visa issuance if otherwise eligible. Consular officers must clearly document the basis for this exemption in the case record.
National Interest
Applicants may also potentially qualify for an exception if their travel would serve a specific U.S. national interest. In such cases, consular posts are instructed to coordinate with analysts in the Department’s Visa Office to determine whether the case warrants further review under Executive Order 14150, titled the “America First Policy Directive to the Secretary of State.”
Proclamation 10998
The cable further notes that applicants from countries already subject to immigrant visa suspensions under INA §212(f) and Presidential Proclamation 10998 should continue to be processed according to those separate procedures.
Visas Already Issued and Released
Visas that had already been issued and released to applicants are not affected by the directive. The cable makes clear that previously issued visas remain valid for travel and will not be revoked under this policy. Final decisions about admission to the United States remain the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security at ports of entry.
What About Already Approved Cases?
The directive also addresses immigrant visa cases that had already been approved but not yet issued before the pause took effect.
If a visa was approved but not yet printed, consular officers must reopen the case and refuse it under INA §221(g) rather than issuing the visa. If the visa foil had already been printed but remained in the consular section, the officer must cancel the foil without prejudice and place the case into administrative processing.
Overall Effect
Taken together, the cable establishes what is effectively a global pause on immigrant visa issuance for nationals of the listed countries while allowing consular processing to continue. Applicants may complete interviews and submit documentation, but their cases will remain in administrative processing unless they qualify for a narrow exception.
The policy therefore functions as a temporary but sweeping restriction on immigrant visa issuance while the State Department reassesses how consular officers evaluate the public charge ground of inadmissibility. Until that review is completed or new guidance is issued, immigrant visa applicants from the affected countries should expect their cases to remain pending even after otherwise successful interviews.