The United States State Department has paused immigrant visa processing for citizens of 75 countries as part of efforts to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge, according to a report by Fox News.
The outlet reported that a State Department memo, first seen by Fox News Digital, instructs U.S. consular officers to refuse certain immigrant visa applications under existing law while the department undertakes a reassessment of its screening and vetting procedures.
According to Fox News, the decision affects countries across Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The pause is reportedly intended to strengthen enforcement of public charge provisions, which assess whether visa applicants are likely to rely on U.S. government assistance.
The full list of countries obtained by Fox News comprises 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.
Fox News further reported that 12 Caribbean countries are included on the list: Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Guyana does not appear on the list of countries affected by the pause in immigrant visa processing, according to Fox News.
Fox News reported that the State Department has not publicly indicated how long the reassessment of its screening and vetting procedures will take.
