A sweeping new directive from Washington has placed an indefinite hold on immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, disproportionately affecting regions in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The Trump administration’s latest policy focuses on the “public charge” rule, aiming to disqualify applicants who might rely on state welfare. This move is seen as a significant tightening of the US border against legal immigration from the developing world.
The policy becomes active on January 21 and instructs consular officials to take a hard line on applications. The instructions are clear: stop the process. If a visa is not yet physically printed, the case is to be refused. This strict cutoff date forces a sudden halt to the plans of thousands of individuals who have navigated the complex US immigration system, only to be stopped at the final hurdle.
While the administration cites economic protectionism as the primary driver, the breadth of the list suggests a major strategic shift. By targeting such a wide array of nations, the US is effectively reshaping its demographic intake. The only distinct paths around this ban are strictly defined “national interest” exceptions or holding a passport from a country not on the list.
The list includes nations recovering from war, as well as stable democracies with long histories of sending immigrants to the US. The inclusion of countries like Brazil, Nigeria, and Thailand highlights the global scale of this new restriction.
The full list of 75 countries is: 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.