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The United States has moved to suspend the processing of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries as part of a tougher approach toward applicants considered likely to place a burden on public finances. The decision follows an internal US State Department memorandum, obtained by Fox News Digital, instructing consular officers to apply existing legislation more strictly while a broader review of screening and security procedures is underway.
Among the affected countries are several from the Balkans and Europe, including North Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania, as well as Russia. The list also extends to states in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America, such as Brazil and Iran.
The suspension is scheduled to take effect on January 21 and will remain in force for an unspecified period. During this time, the State Department is carrying out a comprehensive reassessment of its visa vetting system. The move builds on a State Department cable circulated in November 2025 to US embassies and consulates worldwide, which ordered the introduction of significantly expanded screening measures under the so-called “public burden” clause in US immigration law.
Under these updated guidelines, consular officers are required to refuse immigrant visas to applicants assessed as likely to depend on public assistance in the United States. The assessment includes a broad range of criteria, such as the applicant’s health status, age, level of English proficiency, financial resources and the potential need for long-term medical treatment. Individuals who are older, significantly overweight, have a history of welfare dependence or past institutionalization may face a higher risk of refusal.
Although the “public burden” provision has existed in US immigration law for decades, its enforcement has fluctuated over time, depending on the policy approach of different administrations. Traditionally, consular officers have had considerable discretion in how the rule is interpreted and applied.
According to the memo, exemptions from the suspension will be extremely limited. In exceptional cases, applications may proceed only after a thorough individual assessment confirms that the applicant is unlikely to become dependent on public support.
Fox News reports that the full list of countries covered by the suspension includes Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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, North 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.
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