The Trump administration has placed Pakistan among 75 countries facing an indefinite freeze on US immigrant visa processing, even as diplomatic relations between Washington and Islamabad have shown recent signs of improvement.
According to the US State Department, the suspension will come into effect on January 21 and applies exclusively to immigrant visas, including green card and certain citizenship-related cases. Non-immigrant visas—such as tourist, student, and business travel visas—are not affected by the decision. India is not included in the list.
Nationals from countries including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Iran, Russia, Brazil, and over 60 others will be impacted by the pause. Consular officers have reportedly been instructed to halt the processing of immigrant visa applications from these nations indefinitely.
The administration said the move is part of a broader effort to tighten security screening and prevent what it describes as abuse of the US immigration and public welfare systems. A State Department spokesperson said the policy aims to stop individuals who “extract wealth from the American people by exploiting public benefits.”
President Donald Trump, who has consistently pursued a hardline stance on both illegal and legal immigration since returning to office, had already imposed immigrant visa restrictions on countries such as Brazil, Iran, Russia, and Somalia under earlier measures.
According to the Associated Press, the suspension does not apply to asylum claims, temporary travel visas, or short-term business visas. However, it effectively stalls long-term immigration pathways for affected nationals.
The latest action builds on a series of security-driven restrictions introduced over recent months. Following the arrest of an Afghan immigrant in November over the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, the administration imposed bans or limitations on entrants from 19 countries. In December, the travel restrictions were expanded to five additional countries and to individuals traveling on Palestinian Authority–issued documents.
Asylum cases, green card processing, and citizenship applications linked to the initial list of banned countries remain frozen, further narrowing legal immigration routes as the administration continues its enforcement-first approach to immigration policy.
Recent Random Post:
