U.S. Department of State Pauses Immigrant Visa Issuance for Citizens of 75 Countries

The U.S. Department of State has announced a new pause on the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants who are citizens of one of the following countries:

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.

This is a pause on immigrant visa issuance, which refers to the process of obtaining U.S. legal permanent residency from outside of the United States (which requires obtaining an immigrant visa from a U.S. Consulate or Embassy).  The pause does not apply to nonimmigrant (temporary) visa issuance (e.g., H-1B, J-1, L-1, F-1 visas) and does not currently impact any immigration benefits being processed from within the United States, including applications for adjustment of status.

The DOS announcement confirms that individuals with dual citizenship with a country not on this list will be exempt from the pause.