Washington suspends visa processing for 75 nations
The sweeping ban targets adversaries and allies alike, including nations like Egypt, Brazil, and Thailand
The US State Department has ordered an indefinite freeze on visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, including Iran, Russia, Somalia, Brazil, and Egypt, according to a report by Fox News Digital on 14 January.
According to an internal department memo cited by Fox News, consular officers have been instructed to stop issuing visas starting 21 January, while continuing to refuse applications under existing law during what officials describe as a reassessment of screening and vetting standards.
The affected countries span multiple regions and include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, and Yemen, among others, according to the memo and subsequent reporting.
The policy is framed by US officials as a move to prevent applicants deemed likely to become a “public charge” from entering the country, invoking long-standing provisions of US immigration law.
“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” spokesperson Tommy Piggott said.
He added that “immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures.”
Under guidance circulated to diplomatic posts in November 2025, consular officers were told to apply expanded screening criteria to include factors such as health, age, English-language ability, financial resources, and the potential need for long-term medical care.
The rules reportedly allow officers to deny visas to applicants who are older or overweight, or who have any history of government cash assistance or institutionalization.
Somalia has been singled out by US officials for heightened scrutiny following what Fox News described as a large-scale fraud scandal in Minnesota involving misuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs, with many defendants identified as Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
While citizens of countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and Russia already face severe barriers to entry, countries like Brazil had not previously been subject to such sweeping restrictions.
No timeline has been given for when, or if, visa processing will resume.
The visa freeze fits within a wider tightening of US entry policy under US President Donald Trump, which earlier this month expanded a separate travel ban barring nationals from several countries, including Syria, from entering the US.
While the travel ban is enforced at borders and ports of entry, the visa freeze operates earlier in the process by halting consular processing altogether, reinforcing restrictions before travel even begins.
Together, the measures extend Washington’s exclusionary approach across multiple stages of entry, despite official claims that the policies are narrowly focused on security and screening concerns.