In a sweeping escalation of the administration’s hard-line immigration agenda, the U.S. State Department on 18 January announced an open-ended suspension of all immigrant-visa services for citizens of 75 countries. Under the new directive—effective 21 January—consular posts have been ordered to cancel upcoming immigrant-visa interviews and to stop issuing new immigrant visas (IVs) for applicants who hold passports from the listed nations. Non-immigrant visas (tourist, student, business and work categories) remain available, but applicants will be subjected to enhanced public-charge and security screening.
Officials framed the policy as an effort to “protect American taxpayers” from future reliance on welfare programs, citing internal analyses that immigrants from the targeted countries “disproportionately access means-tested benefits.” The 75-country list spans every region of the world, with large contingents from Africa (e.g., NG, ET, SO, SD), the Middle East (IR, IQ, SY), Latin America/Caribbean (HT, CU, NI) and Central/ South Asia (AF, PK). Current green-card holders, dual nationals travelling on an unrestricted passport, and beneficiaries of approved visas issued before 21 January are exempt.
![U.S. indefinitely suspends immigrant-visa processing for nationals of 75 countries]()
Business-immigration attorneys warn that the measure will severely disrupt multinational workforce-planning. Companies transferring managers under the EB-1C route, sponsoring nurses through the EB-3 schedule, or finalising PERM-based green cards via consular processing must now pivot to stateside adjustment of status (where eligible) or postpone assignments altogether. HR teams are urged to map the nationality mix of their foreign talent pipeline and identify at-risk cases before travel or assignment start dates.
In this rapidly changing environment, VisaHQ can help employers and individual applicants chart alternative visa pathways, assemble compliant documentation, and track real-time policy updates through its dedicated U.S. immigration portal: https://www.visahq.com/united-states/.
From a compliance perspective, employers should expect longer Security Advisory Opinions (SAOs) for non-immigrant applicants from the affected countries and more frequent requests for evidence of private medical insurance and proof of liquid assets. Consular practitioners also expect a rise in National Interest Waiver requests to overcome the moratorium in mission-critical industries such as semiconductors, energy and defence. Finally, foreign nationals already in the United States should think twice before departing for personal travel, as re-entry on a returning resident permit may no longer be guaranteed once the suspension takes hold.
Officials framed the policy as an effort to “protect American taxpayers” from future reliance on welfare programs, citing internal analyses that immigrants from the targeted countries “disproportionately access means-tested benefits.” The 75-country list spans every region of the world, with large contingents from Africa (e.g., NG, ET, SO, SD), the Middle East (IR, IQ, SY), Latin America/Caribbean (HT, CU, NI) and Central/ South Asia (AF, PK). Current green-card holders, dual nationals travelling on an unrestricted passport, and beneficiaries of approved visas issued before 21 January are exempt.
Business-immigration attorneys warn that the measure will severely disrupt multinational workforce-planning. Companies transferring managers under the EB-1C route, sponsoring nurses through the EB-3 schedule, or finalising PERM-based green cards via consular processing must now pivot to stateside adjustment of status (where eligible) or postpone assignments altogether. HR teams are urged to map the nationality mix of their foreign talent pipeline and identify at-risk cases before travel or assignment start dates.
In this rapidly changing environment, VisaHQ can help employers and individual applicants chart alternative visa pathways, assemble compliant documentation, and track real-time policy updates through its dedicated U.S. immigration portal: https://www.visahq.com/united-states/.
From a compliance perspective, employers should expect longer Security Advisory Opinions (SAOs) for non-immigrant applicants from the affected countries and more frequent requests for evidence of private medical insurance and proof of liquid assets. Consular practitioners also expect a rise in National Interest Waiver requests to overcome the moratorium in mission-critical industries such as semiconductors, energy and defence. Finally, foreign nationals already in the United States should think twice before departing for personal travel, as re-entry on a returning resident permit may no longer be guaranteed once the suspension takes hold.
