State Department Suspends Visas for 75 Countries in Public Charge Crackdown

The State Department is halting immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries as part of a broader effort to tighten enforcement of rules targeting individuals considered likely to become a public charge.

According to a State Department memo first obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers have been instructed to deny visas under existing immigration law while the department reviews and revises its screening and vetting procedures. The pause is set to begin on January 21 and will remain in effect indefinitely until the reassessment is completed.

The affected countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen, and dozens of others. Somalia, in particular, has drawn increased attention from federal authorities following a major fraud investigation in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered widespread misuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Many of those implicated were Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.

In November 2025, the State Department sent a cable to U.S. consular posts worldwide directing officers to apply stricter screening standards under the “public charge” provision of immigration law. The guidance instructs officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public assistance, taking into account factors such as age, health, English-language ability, financial resources, and potential need for long-term medical care.

Under the guidance, applicants who are older, overweight, have previously received government cash assistance, or have been institutionalized could be found ineligible.

“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,” spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement. He added that immigration from the 75 countries would be paused while officials reassess processing procedures to prevent the entry of individuals likely to rely on welfare or public benefits.

Exceptions to the pause will be rare and granted only after applicants have cleared public charge evaluations.

Under a 2022 rule implemented during the Biden administration, the definition of public charge was narrowed to focus mainly on cash assistance and long-term institutional care, excluding benefits such as SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, and housing vouchers. While the Immigration and Nationality Act has long allowed consular officers to deny visas on public charge grounds, President Donald Trump expanded the definition in 2019 to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion faced legal challenges, with some provisions blocked before the policy was ultimately rescinded under the Biden administration.

The full list of countries affected by the pause includes Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, the 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, the 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.