State Department Suspends Immigrant Visa Issuance for Nationals of Countries with Higher Risk of Public Benefits Usage

On January 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it is suspending immigrant visa processing for nationals of certain countries due to higher risk of these nationals being inadmissible as a "public charge." The announcement lists nationals of the following countries being affected: 

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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. 

This suspension of visa issuance should affect only immigrant visas and should not extend to nonimmigrant visas. Dual nationals who hold a passport of a country not subject to this processing suspension should not be affected. 

The announcement does not specify an end date for this suspension, and states only that DOS needs to complete "a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge."