US suspends visa processing for 75 countries with high welfare dependency among migrants
WASHINGTON (TNND) — The State Department announced Wednesday it is suspending processing of immigrant visas for 75 countries whose nationals are "deemed likely to require" public assistance while in the United States.
In a post on X, the department said it is pausing the processing from those 75 countries due to migrant who "take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates."
The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," the department wrote.
The department said the pause impacts dozens of countries, including Somalia, Haiti, Iran and Eritrea. The Trump administration has already restricted immigrant and non-immigrant visa processing for dozens of countries, including many in Africa.
The countries included in the suspension are:
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.
"..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," the department said, noting it would always put America first.
The Secretary Marco Rubio-led department said it instructed consular officers to halt the applications in accordance with a November order that tightened the rules around potential migrants who could become "public charges" to the U.S.
The suspension is set to begin on January 21 and will not apply to those seeking non-immigrant visas or temporary tourist or business visas.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
