Overview
- The pause applies only to immigrant visas leading to permanent residency, with tourist, student, business, and other nonimmigrant categories unaffected.
- The department published the 75-country list, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Russia, Pakistan, Somalia, Thailand, and Yemen.
- Consular posts were told to stop approving and printing immigrant visas for affected nationals, including cases already cleared for issuance.
- Officials said dual nationals using a passport from a country not on the list are exempt, and no existing immigrant visas were revoked under this guidance.
- Lawyers and advocates report immediate disruptions to family reunification and employment-based cases and warn of growing backlogs as processing stalls.