In a sweeping policy shift announced 23 January, the U.S. Department of State has ordered consular posts worldwide to stop issuing immigrant visas—those that confer permanent residence—to applicants from 75 nations across Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. The suspension took effect retroactively on 21 January and remains open-ended pending a review of public-charge data, according to a client alert from law firm ArentFox Schiff.
The pause does not apply to non-immigrant categories such as B-1/B-2, F-1 students or H-1B workers, nor does it revoke visas already stamped. Dual citizens may still process under an unaffected passport. However, new immigrant-visa interviews will continue only “pro forma”; consulates will not print visas, effectively freezing cases in place.
Business impact: although employment-based immigrant visas (EB-1 through EB-5) are not nationality-capped, many multinational companies sponsor managers and technical specialists from the now-barred countries. Those cases are stalled indefinitely, complicating succession planning and long-term assignment costs. Employers with candidates from the listed states should explore (a) adjustment-of-status filings for those already in the U.S.; (b) alternate citizenship avenues, or (c) temporary-work visas coupled with rotation to third-country hubs.
![United States Indefinitely Suspends Immigrant-Visa Issuance for Nationals of 75 Countries]()
For organizations scrambling to reorganize mobility programs in light of the suspension, VisaHQ can be a valuable resource. Through its U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), the digital visa and passport platform tracks real-time consular changes, guides users through alternative visa categories, and offers document-preparation support—helping HR teams and individual applicants pivot quickly while mitigating compliance risk.
Compliance note: HR must ensure that green-card “permanent intent” language is removed from offer letters to affected nationals until the suspension lifts. Failure to do so could invite discrimination claims from workers who remain eligible for temporary visas.
Analysts view the move as the latest escalation of the Administration’s 2025 travel-ban expansion, which already barred both immigrant and non-immigrant travel for 39 countries. With 75 nations now shut out of immigrant visas, migration think-tank MPI estimates that 45 % of family-based green-card demand will be blocked in FY 2026.
The State Department has given no timeline for review, leaving corporate mobility teams to plan for a prolonged freeze.
The pause does not apply to non-immigrant categories such as B-1/B-2, F-1 students or H-1B workers, nor does it revoke visas already stamped. Dual citizens may still process under an unaffected passport. However, new immigrant-visa interviews will continue only “pro forma”; consulates will not print visas, effectively freezing cases in place.
Business impact: although employment-based immigrant visas (EB-1 through EB-5) are not nationality-capped, many multinational companies sponsor managers and technical specialists from the now-barred countries. Those cases are stalled indefinitely, complicating succession planning and long-term assignment costs. Employers with candidates from the listed states should explore (a) adjustment-of-status filings for those already in the U.S.; (b) alternate citizenship avenues, or (c) temporary-work visas coupled with rotation to third-country hubs.
For organizations scrambling to reorganize mobility programs in light of the suspension, VisaHQ can be a valuable resource. Through its U.S. portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-states/), the digital visa and passport platform tracks real-time consular changes, guides users through alternative visa categories, and offers document-preparation support—helping HR teams and individual applicants pivot quickly while mitigating compliance risk.
Compliance note: HR must ensure that green-card “permanent intent” language is removed from offer letters to affected nationals until the suspension lifts. Failure to do so could invite discrimination claims from workers who remain eligible for temporary visas.
Analysts view the move as the latest escalation of the Administration’s 2025 travel-ban expansion, which already barred both immigrant and non-immigrant travel for 39 countries. With 75 nations now shut out of immigrant visas, migration think-tank MPI estimates that 45 % of family-based green-card demand will be blocked in FY 2026.
The State Department has given no timeline for review, leaving corporate mobility teams to plan for a prolonged freeze.
