Washington, United States – The United States said Wednesday it will indefinitely suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, and Iran, tightening a net around foreign nationals the government deems likely to require public assistance.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio ordered the suspension, which will begin January 21. It marks a sharp return to the hardline immigration policies of President Donald Trump’s first term, explicitly targeting those the administration claims would “extract wealth” from the American taxpayer.
The directive tells consular officers to halt immigrant visa applications—the primary pathway for permanent residency—from the affected nations.
The move follows a broader crackdown the administration initiated in November 2025, when it revived the “public charge” rule, a standard authorities use to block immigrants they believe are likely to become primarily dependent on the government.
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said in a statement.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries while it reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits from entering the United States.”
While the State Department did not publicly release the full list of nations, a US official speaking on condition of anonymity confirmed to Somalia Today that it includes Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, and Yemen.
Somalia hard hit
Analysts expect the impact to hit Somalia hard, landing on the sensitive intersection of migration, family reunification, and basic economic survival.
Somalia, still recovering from decades of state collapse and conflict while battling the Islamist insurgency Al-Shabaab, depends heavily on its diaspora.
Remittances are a cornerstone of household incomes and business cashflow — estimated at roughly $2 billion annually in the State Department’s 2025 Somalia investment climate report.
A World Bank chapter on Somali remittances cited IMF-based estimates around $1.3 billion a year, while noting informal channels likely mean the true figure is higher.
Rights advocates warn the visa pause inserts Washington directly into this transnational ecosystem, with families waiting on reunification cases facing the most immediate consequences — along with relatives in Somalia whose budgets often rely on support from abroad.
“For the Somali community, this is a double shock,” said a legal analyst in Washington, pointing to the timing of the move. “Coming just days after the administration signaled an end to Temporary Protected Status for Somalis, this suspension narrows what’s left of the legal routes for families to reunite.”
The administration separately moved this week to end Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status, a humanitarian designation renewed repeatedly since 1991. According to U.S. reporting, affected Somalis must leave the United States by March 17, 2026.
Taken together, the TPS termination and the immigrant visa pause squeeze two distinct channels: one for Somalis already in the United States seeking continued protection, and another for relatives abroad hoping to join family members in established hubs such as Minneapolis–St. Paul.
Sweeping new rules
The visa suspension explicitly exempts non-immigrant visas, such as those for tourists or business travelers, and targets those seeking to live permanently in the United States.
US media cited a State Department memo saying the pause is necessary to implement “sweeping new screening rules.”
Under the guidance, consular officers must weigh a wide range of factors—including health, age, English proficiency, finances, and potential need for long-term medical care—when deciding if an applicant is inadmissible.
“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said.
The move reverses the Biden administration’s policy, which in 2022 finalized a rule limiting the “public charge” definition to exclude non-cash benefits such as Medicaid and food stamps.
The Rubio-led State Department is effectively reverting to—and expanding upon—the stricter 2019 interpretation that federal courts challenged.
In November 2025, the Department of Homeland Security published a new rulemaking track, signaling a return to the broader definition.
Broad discretion returns
The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted officials to deny visas on public charge grounds, but enforcement has historically varied.
Critics argue the new directive gives consular officers unchecked subjectivity. The requirement to predict future financial reliance based on a “totality of circumstances” could disadvantage older or overweight applicants, or those with any history of government cash assistance.
“Exceptions to the new pause will be very limited,” a US official said.
The indefinite nature of the pause—Reuters reported no stated end date—has created immediate uncertainty.
Immigration lawyers noted that in previous “public charge” cycles, applicants often faced the main hurdle in the delay required to assemble extensive documentation on income, health coverage, and education.
For Somalis and other nationals on the list, the January 21 deadline looms as a closing gate. With processing suspended indefinitely, thousands of pending green card and family visa applications now sit in limbo.
The full list of affected 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.
