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ARTICLE · 29 JANUARY 2026

Immigrant Visa Processing Updates For Nationalities Deemed High Risk Of Public Benefits Usage

Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney
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On January 14, 2026, the State Department announced that, effective January 21, 2026, the issuance of immigrant visas will be paused for applicants from 75 countries...

GlobalImmigration
Gina Polo
Gina Polo
David A. Schechtmann
David A. Schechtmann
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On January 14, 2026, the State Department announced that, effective January 21, 2026, the issuance of immigrant visas will be 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. Since that announcement, our office has received questions and concerns from clients, so we would like to take the opportunity to explain the pause in further detail. A full list of the countries affected by the pause can be found below.

How Did They Decide Which Countries to List?

The stated reason is that immigrants from these countries had the highest levels of claims for public benefits.

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