Secretary of State Marco Rubio has announced an indefinite suspension of all immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries, effective January 21, 2026. The move marks one of the most significant escalations in the Trump administration’s efforts to tighten U.S. borders and restrict legal immigration pathways.
The freeze specifically targets immigrant visas (permanent residency, family-based, and employment-based), while non-immigrant visas, such as those for tourists, students, and business travelers, are currently excluded from the order.
The African nations affected by new directive are:
- Algeria
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Cote d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Egypt
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Liberia
- Libya
- Morocco
- Nigeria
- Republic of the Congo
- Rwanda
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Tunisia
- Uganda
The State Department justified the freeze by stating it will remain in place until the U.S. can ensure that incoming immigrants will not “extract wealth” or rely on public assistance programs like welfare, medical care, or food stamps.
This order follows a December expansion of travel bans that already affected 39 countries. It coincides with a total pause on asylum cases and a suspension of green card and citizenship processing for several targeted nations.
Consular officers have reportedly been instructed that if a visa has been approved but not yet printed, the case must now be refused under the new guidance. Applicants in the affected countries are advised to monitor embassy communications for further instructions.
The full List of affected countries are:
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.