Freezing of US visa issuance: what is known and what remains to be clarified

USA temporarily pauses issuing visas for 75 countries The United States government has frozen issuing visas for 75 countries, as announced this Wednesday (14) by the State Department. Brazil joined the list, which also includes countries such as Iran and Russia, according to the North American TV network Fox News, which had access to the State Department memo with the plan. The State Department says the freeze affects immigration visas. Although the scope of the measure has not been confirmed, visas such as tourism and business are not part of this category. See what is known and what remains to be clarified about the measure: Which countries will be affected The State Department confirmed that 75 countries are on the list of nations that will have the issuance of immigrant visas frozen. “The Department of State will suspend visa processing for immigrants from 75 countries whose migrants receive social benefits from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain in effect until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the department said. Initial plugin text The department has not officially released the list of all countries that are part of the new restriction. To g1, the State Department confirmed the information in the Fox News report. The list published by the broadcaster includes Brazil and countries such as Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Thailand. See the full list of affected countries. Visas impacted The US State Department states verbatim that the measure concerns immigration visas. According to the agency’s website, the category includes visas issued to family members, such as spouses of American citizens or minors adopted by US couples, and work visas. The suspension does not apply to non-immigrant categories, such as tourist and business visas, according to the Associated Press. VISA TYPES: USA provides more than 60 different types; see which ones come into force The North American government had not yet detailed the plan until the last update of this report. But, according to the memo that Fox News said it had access to, the measure should come into force on January 21st and has no end date. The report also says that the pause will be temporary and will allow the US government to reevaluate the current criteria for granting visas to foreigners. Justification The State Department does not objectively explain the reason for the decision, but states that it will stop issuing visas to countries “whose immigrants often become a public charge to the United States upon arrival in the country.” According to Fox News, the new US government directive could serve to make it more difficult to grant immigration visas to foreigners with certain medical conditions, such as obesity or diabetes. A copy of the State Department’s guidance had already been obtained in November by the Associated Press. According to the AP, the objective of the new measure would be to ensure that immigrants do not need to use public government benefits at any time after entering the US. The search for the EB-2 NIW visa in the USA. Disclosure OVERWEIGHT, HYPERTENSION, ANXIETY: USA is considering barring entry to foreigners with chronic illnesses, says Associated Press Visas for students See the videos that are trending on g1 Student visas do not fall into the category of visas for immigrants and should not be affected by this measure specifically. In June last year, however, a new requirement was implemented for granting student visas: all applicants must unlock their social media profiles for analysis by the American government. According to the statement released at the time, the measure aimed to identify content considered hostile to the United States, its government, culture, institutions or founding principles. New strategy The new US defense and foreign policy strategy, published by the Donald Trump government in December 2025, already provided for increased restrictions on the entry of immigrants. Analysts expect that, throughout 2026, Trump will turn his anti-immigration policies to restrictions on the entry of foreigners and the granting of visas. “It will basically disable the United States’ legal immigration system,” predicts Shev Dalal-Dheini, director of government relations at the American Immigrant Lawyers Association. ‘DONROE’ DOCTRINE, DOORS CLOSED TO IMMIGRANTS: what will the Trump administration be like in 2026?

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