By: Kenneth Nilsson and Rachael Jeanfreau
Effective January 21, 2026, the United States government suspended the issuance of immigrant visas for foreign nationals of 75 countries. This suspension affects applicants for immigrant visas, including employment-based and family-based petitions for permanent residency (i.e., “green cards”). Nonimmigrant visas, such as tourist visas, student visas, H-1B visas, and exchange visitor visas, are not impacted. According to the U.S. Department of State, applicants from these 75 countries are “at high risk of public benefits usage” in the U.S., and during the pause, the DOS will review its policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that nationals from these countries have the financial means to support themselves and not rely on U.S. public assistance.
Although this suspension is limited to applicants from the 75 countries, the DOS has increased scrutiny more broadly of whether visa applicants in general are likely to become public charges of the U.S. In November 2025, the DOS issued an internal cable to consular officers directing them to consider details about an applicant’s age, health (including obesity and other conditions which the DOS notes could require expensive, long-term medical care in the U.S.), family status, finances, education, skills, and any past use of public assistance.
Employers who are sponsoring, or want to sponsor, a national from an affected country should carefully evaluate the potential impacts of this suspension on their workforce and hiring plans. Although visa interviews with consular officers may proceed as scheduled during the pause, visas will not be issued to nationals from the affected countries during this time. To assess how these developments could affect a particular employer, employers are strongly encouraged to consult with legal counsel.
The affected countries are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote 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, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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.
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