Overview
- An internal State Department memo, first reported by Fox News and later confirmed publicly, instructs consular posts to deny immigrant visas for 75 countries with very limited exceptions during a procedural review.
- The pause takes effect on January 21 and is open‑ended, covering immigrant visas that lead to permanent residence while leaving non‑immigrant categories such as tourism, business and most student visas unaffected.
- Officials frame the move around preventing entry by applicants deemed likely to rely on U.S. public benefits, reflecting the administration’s tightened interpretation of the public‑charge standard issued in late 2025.
- Countries cited across reports include Brazil, Colombia, Uruguay, Cuba, Haiti, Russia, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, with the full list referenced in the Fox News memo.
- The action comes alongside stepped‑up enforcement: more than 100,000 visas have been revoked since 2025, DHS reports over 605,000 removals and 2.5 million voluntary departures, and broader social‑media and background reviews are underway for millions of visa holders.