Pakistan among 75 countries hit by US immigrant visa processing freeze

State Department spokesman says Trump administration is ending abuse of US immigration system

The Trump administration is suspending all visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan. The US State Department did not elaborate on the plan, first reported by Fox News on Wednesday, which cited a State Department memo.

Potential list of countries includes Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen, according to the report.

According to CNN, the suspension affects immigrant visas, including those for employment or family reunification in the US. Non-immigrant visas, such as student and tourist visas, are not affected, meaning travelers attending events like this summer’s World Cup in the US would not be impacted.

The pause will begin on January 21, Fox News said.

The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.

— Department of State (@StateDept) January 14, 2026

The memo directs US embassies to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses its procedures. No time frame was provided.

“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement on Wednesday.

SCREENGRAB: Fox News Website

"Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits," he said.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on X that the countries affected would include Somalia -- whose people Trump has attacked in heated terms after immigrants were involved in a funding scandal in Minnesota -- as well as Russia and Iran.

US freezes all visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, Iranhttps://t.co/EAFsAcsATz

— Karoline Leavitt (@PressSec) January 14, 2026

Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration by people who are not of European descent. He has described Somalis as "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from" and instead said he was open to Scandinavians moving to the United States.

The State Department said Monday that it has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump's return, a one-year record.

The Department of Homeland Security last month said that the Trump administration has deported more than 605,000 people, and that 2.5 million others left on their own.