The United States Department of State is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries as part of a sweeping crackdown on applicants considered likely to become a public charge.
A State Department memo seen by Fox News Digital instructs consular officers to begin refusing visas under existing immigration law while Washington reassesses its screening and vetting procedures. The pause begins on January 21 and will remain in place indefinitely.
Countries affected include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and dozens of others across Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean and Asia.
The move follows heightened scrutiny of benefit fraud cases, including a major scandal in Minnesota involving misuse of taxpayer funded welfare and childcare programs, where many of those charged were Somali nationals or Somali Americans.
In November 2025, the State Department issued a global cable directing consular officers to apply stricter rules under the public charge provision of US immigration law. The guidance tells officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, based on factors such as age, health, English proficiency, financial resources, weight and the potential need for long term medical care. Applicants with any past use of government cash assistance or institutional care can also be denied.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said the department would use its authority to block potential immigrants who would exploit US welfare systems, adding that immigration from the 75 countries would be paused while new procedures are reviewed.
Exceptions will be rare and only allowed after applicants clear public charge screening.
The public charge rule has existed for decades but was expanded under Trump in 2019 to include a wider range of public benefits before being rolled back under the Biden administration in 2022. The current action restores a broader enforcement approach as part of the Trump administration’s wider immigration crackdown.
The full list of affected countries includes 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.
