U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a year-end press conference at the State Department on December 19, 2025 in Washington, DC, USA.
Kevin Mohatreuter
The State Department announced Wednesday that it is suspending immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries deemed likely to need welfare assistance while living in the United States.
The State Department, led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said it had directed consular officials to halt immigrant visa applications from affected countries, following a sweeping order issued in November that tightened rules for immigrants who could be considered “public offenses” in the United States.
The suspension, which begins Jan. 21, does not apply to applicants seeking nonimmigrant visas, temporary tourist visas, or business visas.
“The Trump Administration is committed to ending the abuse of our immigration system by those seeking to extract wealth from Americans,” the department said in a statement. “Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be suspended and the State Department will reevaluate immigration procedures to prevent the entry of aliens on welfare and public benefits.”
The statement did not specify which countries would be affected by the suspension, but President Donald Trump’s administration has already severely restricted the processing of immigrant and nonimmigrant visas for citizens of dozens of countries, including African countries.
U.S. officials said the list includes Russia, Iran and Somalia, as well as Afghanistan, Brazil and Egypt. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the list has not yet been made public.
