Immigrant visas from much of the globe are about to be put on ice. The State Department on Wednesday said it will halt processing of immigrant visas for people seeking to move permanently to the US from 75 countries, including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, Russia, and Somalia. A post on X from the State Department describes the countries in question as ones "whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates."
The suspension, which does not affect short-term visas for tourists, students, or temporary workers, is set to begin Jan. 21 and remain in place "until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," per the X post. A State Department statement explained that officials plan to "reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits," adding:
- "The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America's immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people. 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."
NBC News reports that in practice, most legal permanent residents face significant limits on benefits: many are barred from accessing programs such as food stamps, non-emergency Medicaid, and CHIP for their first five years. The AP has the full list of impacted countries here.
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