The US has suspended immigrant visa processing for a total of 75 countries, including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Russia.
The order came from US President Donald Trump on Wednesday evening.
According to the US State Department, Trump ‘made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans’.
As a result, the State Department was ‘undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilise welfare in the United States or become a public charge’.
The order will take effect on 21 January.
According to the State Department, the suspension will not affect immigrant visa applicants who already have scheduled appointments for processing. However, the US will not issue immigrant visas during this pause.
They also said that dual nationals with a valid passport of a country that is not listed among those affected by the suspension will be exempt from the pause, and stressed that no immigrant visas would be revoked under this order.
The pause will also not affect tourist visa processing.
The suspension impacts a wide range of countries around the world, including those not afflicted by domestic crises as well as highly developed countries such as Kuwait.
Iran, which is witnessing widespread protests against the ruling regime in Tehran, has also been impacted by the directive.
The order came amidst widespread criticism of Trump’s crackdown on immigration inside the US, a week after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) killed a woman in Minneapolis after her car was stopped by officers on the street. Her killing, as well as the administration’s defence of the officers involved and subsequent smearing of her character, has sparked protests across the country.
According to The Guardian, the US State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump returned to office in January 2025. Citing Homeland Security, The Guardian has additionally reported that more than 605,000 people have been deported from the US, while an additional 2.5 million left the country on their own.
