US has announced a sweeping pause on immigrant visa processing for citizens of up to 75 countries, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Russia and Nepal, as part of the latest immigration measures under President Donald Trump. The move was confirmed by the US State Department on Wednesday and is set to take effect from January 21.
Why has US taken this step?
The decision is linked to concerns over migrants becoming “public charges” after arriving in the country. The Trump administration said immigrant visa processing would be paused for countries whose migrants “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates,” Hindustan Times cited an official statement issued by the US State Department.
State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said, “The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America's immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people.”
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He further said, “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
Who will be affected and who won’t?
As per a report by The Hindustan Times, the suspension applies only to immigrant visas. Applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, including tourist, student, or business visas, will not be affected by the pause, the State Department clarified.
The department said that the decision would impact “dozens of countries, including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea, whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival.”
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Countries likely to be on the list
While the US government has not officially released a final list, a report by the Associated Press cited countries expected to fall under the new restrictions. The list of 75 countries include 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.
