As part of the Trump administration's effort to restrict low-income groups from immigrating to the United States, the U.S. Department of State will indefinitely suspend immigration visa processing for 75 countries.

The suspension will take effect officially on January 21, 2026, primarily targeting individuals seeking permanent residency, typically through marriage, family relationships, or employment sponsorship. Notably, this freeze does not affect applications for tourist visas or temporary work visas.

The affected countries are spread across the globe, mainly concentrated in Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America. According to informed officials, visa processing for countries including Russia, Thailand, Morocco, Colombia, and Brazil is among those suspended.

This move marks a significant escalation of Trump's entry restriction policies—by January 1, the ban had imposed full or partial restrictions on 39 countries. According to two foreign officials, after the news broke on Wednesday, multiple foreign embassies in Washington were thrown into chaos as they scrambled to confirm whether their countries were on the list and the specific impacts of the ban.

Trump implemented entry restrictions during the first week of his first term, citing the reason as preventing terrorists from entering. Now, the scope of the bans and immigration pauses has significantly expanded, covering what Trump referred to as 'third world countries.'

Under the new regulations, State Department officials have been instructed to strictly determine whether each visa applicant may become a 'public charge' upon entry, meaning whether they may rely on welfare or other public assistance.

Despite the current regulations, most new immigrants are effectively prohibited from using federal welfare programs such as Medicaid or SNAP within five years of obtaining permanent residency (with a few exceptions), and this restriction does not apply to state-funded programs. However, the government has still decided to strengthen this review standard.

U.S. State Department Chief Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated: 'The Trump administration is ending the abuse of the U.S. immigration system and stopping those who intend to seize wealth from the American people.'

He added: 'The State Department will exercise the long-granted power to deem those potential immigrants who may become a 'public charge' and utilize the generosity of the American people as ineligible. During the visa processing suspension for these 75 countries, the State Department will reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent foreigners intending to utilize benefits and public resources from entering.'