Leaked State Department cables have confirmed that the Trump administration is enacting an indefinite freeze on immigrant visas for 75 countries, effective January 21. The directive includes a specific and harsh operational command: even if a visa has been approved, if it has not been printed, the consular officer “must refuse the case.” This procedural technicality is set to nullify thousands of approved applications instantly.
The core of the policy is the “public charge” determination. Officials are being instructed to deny entry to anyone they suspect might depend on government benefits. This subjective standard is being applied broadly across the listed nations, which span every continent except Australia and Antarctica. The move is interpreted as a method to drastically lower overall immigration numbers through administrative means.
Exceptions to the rule are minimal. They differ from previous travel bans by focusing heavily on economic factors rather than solely security concerns. However, the result is similar: a closed door. Applicants hoping to use dual nationality to bypass the restriction must present a valid passport from a non-listed country to be eligible for consideration.
The inclusion of major nations such as Russia, Brazil, and Egypt indicates that diplomatic friction or size of economy does not grant immunity from this new standard. The policy effectively pauses legal migration from a significant portion of the world’s population.
The countries on the suspension list are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Myanmar, 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, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.