The Trump administration paused immigrant visa processing on January 21, 2026 for nationals of 75 countries, a move that includes many nations invited to join President Trump’s newly launched Board of Peace.
The suspension halts consular immigrant visa work across family-based, employment-based and diversity categories, stopping many cases at the interview and visa issuance stage overseas even when U.S. sponsors have already filed and advanced petitions.
Administration rationale and official statements
In a statement dated January 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of State said the policy ties to concerns about financial self-sufficiency and screening. The statement connected the pause to preventing new immigrants from becoming a public charge.
“President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans. The Department of State is undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge.”
Tommy Pigott, Principal Deputy Spokesperson at the State Department, described the pause as a broad reset of processing for affected nationals. He framed the action as an effort to stop those who would “extract wealth from the American people.”
“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people. Immigrant visa processing from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits.”
An official social media statement on X on January 14, 2026 framed the halt as temporary but open-ended. The post listed sample countries and said the freeze would remain active until the U.S. can ensure new immigrants will not “extract wealth from the American people.”
“The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people. The pause impacts dozens of countries—including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea—whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival.”
Scope and visa categories affected
The January 21 action broadened a sequence of restrictions the administration linked to public charge concerns and vetting procedures. Combined with a Dec. 16, 2025 proclamation, the restrictions now touch 93 countries—about 47% of the world’s nations—according to the material accompanying the policy roll-out.
The suspension halts consular immigrant visa processing abroad across family-based, employment-based, and Diversity Visa categories. Because the action centers on consular processing, many immediate effects appear at the interview and visa issuance stages overseas.
For applicants trying to determine whether they fall under the pause, the practical first step is to focus on the visa type and where the case sits. The policy targets immigrant visa processing abroad across categories, including immediate relatives of U.S. citizens—spouses, children, and parents—alongside employment-based immigrant visas and Diversity Visa recipients.
Because this section will have an interactive tool added separately, the description above leads into that tool: it identifies which visa categories and where in the process (consular interview and issuance) are most affected, and the tool will provide searchable, visual detail on applicability by category and case stage.
Domestic re-review and USCIS guidance
While the visa pause focuses on immigrant visa processing abroad, a separate directive reaches inside the United States immigration system. USCIS received instructions to “re-review” all pending and previously approved cases for nationals of these 39 and 75 countries dating back to January 20, 2021.
The DHS-directed re-review posture signals that nationals connected to the covered country lists could face case holds, renewed vetting, and additional steps even after earlier approvals. USCIS was told it will “hold pending cases” and “re-evaluate those approved in the last five years,” according to the policy material.
Immigrant visa processing generally runs through consular channels rather than domestic USCIS adjustment procedures. In many family sponsorship cases, USCIS first adjudicates the petition before the National Visa Center and a consular interview handle the final steps overseas.
By contrast, USCIS processes many in-country benefits, including adjustment of status and other immigration benefits, under a different set of procedures. The re-review posture may therefore produce holds, renewed vetting, and additional notices for applicants and sponsors at different stages.
Practical effects for families, employers, and Diversity Visa recipients
The family impact appears most direct for U.S. citizens sponsoring relatives from the 75 countries, because processing “has effectively stopped at the consular level,” the policy material said. Families can have petitions approved and documents ready, but still lose the interview date or the issuance decision.
Employment-based cases face different pressure points: employers planning start dates can see onboarding collapse when a worker cannot obtain an immigrant visa abroad. Timing uncertainty can complicate staffing plans when a case close to completion becomes subject to a pause and possible additional review.
Diversity Visa recipients can also face disruption because the category depends on processing windows and consular scheduling. The administration’s action applied the pause to Diversity Visa recipients, stopping issuance even for those who already cleared earlier steps.
Distinction between immigrant and non-immigrant visas
The administration said the restrictions generally do not apply to temporary non-immigrant visas, such as tourist or business visas, though applicants remain subject to existing vetting. That distinction matters because the pause targets permanent immigration through consular issuance rather than short-term visits.
Even so, the line between immigrant and non-immigrant processing can blur in practical terms for people planning major life moves. A family expecting an immigrant visa interview, a diversity visa recipient racing a calendar, or an employer planning an overseas hire can see timelines collapse if a consular post stops scheduling interviews or issuing visas under the pause.
Diplomatic context: Board of Peace and timing
The diplomatic backdrop landed a day after the pause took effect. The Board of Peace was formally inaugurated at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Jan. 22, 2026, as an international body chaired by President Trump and intended to oversee global conflict stabilization, starting with Gaza.
The administration’s immigration actions and the Davos launch sit side-by-side without changing visa law through Board membership itself. Participation in the Board of Peace does not, on its face, create an immigration pathway, an exception, or an eligibility benefit for nationals of any country whose immigrant visa processing is paused.
Notable affected nations and examples
Analysts cited in the policy material described a “diplomatic paradox” in the overlap between countries courted for international cooperation and countries swept into immigration restrictions. The material framed the tension as the U.S. courting strategic partners while their citizens face immigrant visa barriers rooted in “public charge” concerns.
Examples of affected Board of Peace members listed alongside the restrictions include Egypt, Pakistan, Jordan, Armenia, Morocco, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Albania. The administration also cited Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea as examples of countries affected by the pause in the January 14 social media statement.
Because this section will have an interactive tool added separately, these prose examples lead into that tool, which will present a searchable, interactive list of notable affected nations, their status with respect to the pause, and illustrative examples referenced in the administration’s material.
Administrative scale and estimated impact
The scale of the action, combined with the earlier Dec. 16, 2025 proclamation, drew attention to the breadth of the country coverage. By the administration’s own tally in the policy material, the combined restrictions now touch 93 countries, reaching nearly half the world.
Estimates cited in the same material said the policy will reduce legal immigration by 33% to 50%, affecting hundreds of thousands of applicants per year. The material did not explain the methodology behind those estimates, but the figures underscore the potential reach of a pause that applies across immigrant visa categories.
What applicants and sponsors can do
For applicants trying to determine whether they fall under the pause, focus on the visa type and where the case sits. Because the pause centers on consular processing, many immediate effects show up at the end of the pipeline: interview scheduling, issuance decisions, and final consular processing.
Applicants and sponsors seeking updates can track official postings and case communications rather than relying on secondhand accounts. The State Department posts releases and statements through its press releases page, while USCIS publishes agency announcements at USCIS Official Updates.
DHS also posts public announcements through its DHS Press Releases page. The administration’s proclamations and related presidential actions appear through the White House’s presidential actions page, which includes the cited “Proclamation 10949 (June 2025/Dec 2025 Expansion Framework).”
For consular cases, applicants typically monitor status and instructions through National Visa Center communications and consular scheduling messages. For USCIS matters, applicants often rely on case status tools and online account notices, particularly if an agency signals it will “hold pending cases” and expand re-review back to January 20, 2021 for nationals of the covered country lists.
Final practical takeaway
As the administration pairs the Board of Peace’s Davos launch with a wide immigrant visa pause that reaches many of the same countries, the practical message for applicants remains procedural rather than diplomatic. Board membership does not create an immigration exception, and nationality and visa type drive whether a case can move forward.
Applicants should track official agency notices, monitor case-specific communications, and prepare for potential holds or requests for additional information if their nationality appears on the covered lists or their case falls within the consular processing pipeline.
