Trump administration expands immigrant visa ban to 75 countries Submitted by MEE staff on Wed, 01/14/2026 - 19:00 The move is not retroactive for current visa holders The sign outside the US State Department building in Washington, DC, as seen on 11 July 2025 (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters) Off The Trump administration on Wednesday announced that it will suspend the issuance of immigrant visas to the nationals of 75 countries, including Brazil, Iran, Russia, and Somalia, starting on 21 January. "The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates," the agency said in a post on X. "The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people." The statement said that the affected countries, "including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea," make for immigrants who "often become public charges on the United States upon arrival", meaning they apply for and use government benefits. "We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused," the State Department said. "The Trump Administration will always put America First." It has long been routine for asylum-seekers and refugees to the US in particular to access social welfare benefits via systems in each state designed to get them on their feet and ease them into the community. But with immigration to the US now at a nearly 50-year low because of the Trump administration's aggressive crackdown, it's likely those services will be significantly scaled back. While the full list of impacted countries was not announced by the government, a Fox News report citing an internal memo from the State Department named the following: Afghanistan; Albania; Algeria; Antigua and Barbuda; Armenia; Azerbaijan; Bahamas; Bangladesh; Barbados; Belarus; Belize; Bhutan; Bosnia; Brazil; Burma; Cambodia; Cameroon; Cape Verde; Colombia; Cote d’Ivoire; Cuba; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Dominica; Egypt; Eritrea; Ethiopia; Fiji; Gambia; Georgia; Ghana; Grenada; Guatemala; Guinea; Haiti; Iran; Iraq; Jamaica; Jordan; Kazakhstan; Kosovo; Kuwait; Kyrgyzstan; Laos; Lebanon; Liberia; Libya; Macedonia; Moldova; Mongolia; Montenegro; Morocco; Nepal; Nicaragua; Nigeria; 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. Non-immigrant visas, business visas, and tourist visas will not be impacted, the AP reported, but everyone coming to the US will face a heightened screening process. The US is now five months away from hosting the FIFA 2026 World Cup along with Canada and Mexico. Administration officials have previously said they expect some five million people or more to come to the US for the event, but independent analysts have put that number at below one million, given the more aggressive vetting procedures that could include searches of phones and social media accounts, as well as the risk of lengthy detentions without due process. At least 100,000 visas revoked The Trump administration has posited itself as the most anti-immigrant government yet, having so far revoked 100,000 visas , deported some half a million immigrants, and put some 70,000 others in immigration detention centres that have been criticised for overcrowding, lack of hygiene, and poisoned food. The US asylum programme has effectively been terminated, and temporary protected status (TPS) for those unable to return to unsafe countries has been cancelled for Afghans, Syrians, Somalis, and Venezuelans, among others. The Department of Homeland Security has been on a massive recruitment drive for agents who can act as bounty hunters and meet daily quotas for arresting suspected undocumented immigrants and even legal immigrants whose records contain encounters with law enforcement. Videos have gone viral of masked and heavily armed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents violently dragging people out of their cars and away from their children. Many of those arrested have not been seen since, prompting widespread fear among immigrant communities as well as naturalised US citizens, especially those who are visibly non-white or are overheard speaking languages other than English. President Donald Trump has said he is considering revoking citizenship, and he has asked the Supreme Court to weigh in on banning birthright citizenship for non-American parents. US Politics News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0