US Suspends Processing of Immigrant Visas from 75 Countries: From Brazil to Russia

US Citizenship and Immigration Services. (Wikimedia Commons/Gulbenk)

JAKARTA - US authorities on Wednesday announced plans to suspend the processing of immigrant visas from 75 countries, President Donald Trump's latest move against foreigners who want to come to the United States.

The United States has long denied visas to people who appear to need government assistance, but the State Department said it would use the same authority to suspend the issuance of immigrant visas entirely based on nationality.

"The Trump administration is ending the abuse of the American immigration system by those who want to take wealth from the American people," said State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott, launching Al Arabiya from AFP (15/1).

"The processing of immigrant visas from these 75 countries will be temporarily suspended as the State Department re-evaluates immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who will take welfare assistance and public benefits," he added.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt wrote in a post on X that the affected countries included Somalia - whose people Trump had attacked with harsh words after immigrants were involved in a funding scandal in Minnesota - as well as Russia and Iran.

A US official said that other affected countries included a number of countries with good relations with the United States, including Brazil, Egypt and Thailand.

Other countries that will face immigration suspensions include Nigeria - Africa's most populous country - as well as Iraq and Yemen, the official said.

Quoted from the State Department's website, this provision will take effect on January 21, 2026, without specifying an end date.

The countries are Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 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, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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.

It is known that President Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce immigration by people who are not of European descent.

He described Somalis as "garbage" who should "go back to where they came from" and said he was open to Scandinavians moving to the United States.

Previously, the State Department said on Monday it had revoked more than 100,000 visas since President Trump returned to the White House, setting a record in a year.

Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security last month said the Trump administration had deported more than 605,000 people, and another 2.5 million left voluntarily.

The latest move does not affect tourist, business or other visas, including for football fans who want to visit for this year's World Cup, although the Trump administration has promised to check the social media histories of all applicants.