Very limited exceptions: US to suspend visa processing for 75 countries | Full list

New Delhi: The United States has decided to suspend visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, including Russia, Iran, Afghanistan and Somalia, as part of a sweeping move to tighten enforcement of the "public charge" provision under US immigration law, according to reports.

Visa processing for applicants from the affected countries will be paused beginning January 21 while the United States Department of State reassesses its screening and vetting procedures, a person familiar with the matter told Fox News Digital.

Consular officers have been instructed to deny visas under existing immigration law to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits in the US. Countries impacted by the suspension include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, among others.

The move is being described as one of the most far-reaching immigration enforcement measures of the Donald Trump administration. While nationals from some of the listed countries already face significant hurdles in obtaining US visas, the decision is expected to come as a surprise to applicants from others, including Brazil.

The visa pause will remain in effect indefinitely until the State Department completes its review of immigration processing procedures, the report said. Exceptions will be "very limited" and granted only after applicants clear public charge considerations.

Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny following a major fraud investigation in Minnesota, where federal prosecutors uncovered large-scale misuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programmes. Officials said several individuals implicated in the case were Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.

The decision follows a State Department cable sent to US embassies worldwide in November 2025, directing consular officers to apply stricter screening standards under the public charge provision. Under the guidance, officials are required to assess factors including health, age, English proficiency, financial status and the potential need for long-term medical care.

According to the report, applicants who are older, overweight, or who have previously received government cash assistance or institutional care could face visa refusals under the tightened rules.

In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said the department would use its "long-standing authority" to deny entry to immigrants likely to become a public charge.

"Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits," Piggott said.

The public charge provision has existed in US immigration law for decades, though its enforcement has varied across administrations. In 2019, the Trump administration expanded the definition to include a broader range of public benefits, a move that was challenged in court and later rescinded by the Biden administration in 2022. Under the revised rule, the scope of benefits considered was narrowed mainly to cash assistance and long-term institutional care, excluding programmes such as food aid, Medicaid and housing vouchers.

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The full list of countries comprises of 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, 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 and Yemen.