According to a leaked cable, the Department of State (DoS) will pause immigrant visa issuance for individuals from 75 different countries as of January 21, 2026. The directive does not currently apply to nonimmigrant visas. Examples of nonimmigrant visas include tourist visas, student visas, and some types of employment-based visas.
The cable, signed by Marco Rubio, indicates that those from the listed countries are at high risk for becoming a public charge and using U.S. government resources, and instructs consular officers to refuse immigrant visas for all applicants from the listed countries. There is no process for demonstrating financial ability or to rebut the presumption that an individual would become a public charge.
The cable specifies that DoS will not cancel interviews for individuals from the listed countries, but will not issue an immigrant visa after the interview. The cable allows for exceptions for individuals who are dual citizens of an unaffected country.
For those with already scheduled interviews: It may be best to prepare for and attend your consular interview where appropriate. A decision will not be issued in your case until after the visa pause is over. It is not currently known when the pause will end. If you are in the U.S., you should not depart without first speaking with your attorney.
For those with no interview scheduled: We expect significant delays in the scheduling of your visa interview.
At the moment, this new policy applies to those seeking an immigrant visa from abroad. It does not impact applications or interviews with USCIS, although some individuals may be impacted by the USCIS adjudication pause, which impacts fewer countries.
Should you have questions or concerns about the impact of this new policy on your own case, the experienced attorneys at Murray Osorio PLLC can help you understand your options. Call 800-929-7142 or contact us online today to schedule a consultation.
A full list of affected countries is below:
- 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
- The 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
- Yemen