On January 14, 2026, the State Department announced that, effective January 21, 2026, the issuance of immigrant visas will be indefinitely paused for applicants from 75 countries while the agency reassesses procedures for determining whether applicants are likely to become financially dependent on the U.S. government.
This policy applies only to immigrant visa stickers. Non-immigrant visa applicants (F, J, H-1B, TN status for example) are not affected.
The announcement lists the impacted countries, and includes several countries that were previously covered by the Presidential Proclamation titled: Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States. Citizens/nationals from the affected countries will still be able to apply for immigrant visas and attend visa interviews during the pause but immigrant visas will not be issued. Previously issued visas remain valid for travel.
Green card applicants who are already in the U.S. in a non-immigrant status typically do not apply for an immigrant visa sticker as part of the application process. Instead, they complete the process by applying for an Adjustment of Status with USCIS. The Adjustment of Status process is not affected by the Department of State announcement.
Also not affected by this policy are dual nationals using a passport from a country not on the list.
We will continue to monitor developments and will update this announcement as needed.