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The State Department is slamming the brakes on immigrant visa processing for 75 countries. The goal? Crack down hard on applicants likely to become a public charge and drain American resources.
A State Department memo, obtained first by Fox News Digital, orders consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reviews and strengthens screening and vetting procedures.
The affected countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen, and dozens more.
Somalia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Thailand among nations hit by indefinite pause starting Jan. 21.
Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda are on the new restrictions list from the Trump administration over concerns with their Citizenship by Investment programs. Here's a look at the stunning Antigua coastline that draws so many visitors.
This pause kicks in January 21 as mentioned, and continues indefinitely until a full reassessment of immigrant visa processing is complete.
Somalia has been under intense federal scrutiny after a massive fraud scandal exploded in Minnesota. Prosecutors exposed widespread abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs, with many involved being Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
Back in November 2025, a State Department cable went out to posts worldwide, directing consular officers to enforce tough new screening rules under the "public charge" provision of immigration law.
The guidance tells officers to deny visas to anyone likely to rely on public benefits. They weigh everything: health, age, English proficiency, finances, and even potential future need for long-term medical care.
Here are views of the Quality Learning Center in Minnesota, which sat at the heart of the alleged childcare fraud scandal rocking the state.
Older or overweight applicants could face denial, as could anyone with any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.
"The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people," State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement.
"Immigration 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."
This image shows the sign at Quality Learning Center, [formerly known as the Quality Learing Center] where manager Ibrahim Ali denied any fraud despite explosive reports from independent journalist Nick Shirley. The scandal broke right before the State Department hit pause on visa processing.
The pause starts January 21 and runs indefinitely until the department finishes reassessing visa processing.
While the public charge rule has been on the books for decades, enforcement has swung wildly depending on the administration. Consular officers have historically had broad discretion.Exceptions to this new pause will be "very limited" and only granted after an applicant fully clears public charge concerns.
The 2022 Biden-era version of the rule narrowed things down, mostly to cash assistance and long-term institutional care, while excluding programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, or housing vouchers.
The Immigration and Nationality Act has always allowed consular officers to block applicants on public charge grounds. President Donald Trump expanded the definition in 2019 to cover a much wider range of benefits. Courts challenged that expansion, parts got blocked, and the Biden administration rescinded it.
If you enjoy Brain Flushings and would like to subscribe or Buy Me a Coffee, and check out the sponsors on this page, I would appreciate it, as it supports my work and my coffee drinking habit. No pressure and subscribing is free.
Here are more images from the Minnesota childcare fraud investigation that helped fuel this crackdown.
The full list of affected countries: 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. And a partridge in a pear tree.
Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda are on the new restrictions list from the Trump administration over concerns with their Citizenship by Investment programs. Here's a look at the stunning Antigua coastline that draws so many visitors.
This pause kicks in January 21 as mentioned, and continues indefinitely until a full reassessment of immigrant visa processing is complete.
Somalia has been under intense federal scrutiny after a massive fraud scandal exploded in Minnesota. Prosecutors exposed widespread abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs, with many involved being Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
Back in November 2025, a State Department cable went out to posts worldwide, directing consular officers to enforce tough new screening rules under the "public charge" provision of immigration law.
The guidance tells officers to deny visas to anyone likely to rely on public benefits. They weigh everything: health, age, English proficiency, finances, and even potential future need for long-term medical care.
Here are views of the Quality Learning Center in Minnesota, which sat at the heart of the alleged childcare fraud scandal rocking the state.
Older or overweight applicants could face denial, as could anyone with any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.
"The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people," State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement.
"Immigration 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."
This image shows the sign at Quality Learning Center, [formerly known as the Quality Learing Center] where manager Ibrahim Ali denied any fraud despite explosive reports from independent journalist Nick Shirley. The scandal broke right before the State Department hit pause on visa processing.
The pause starts January 21 and runs indefinitely until the department finishes reassessing visa processing.
While the public charge rule has been on the books for decades, enforcement has swung wildly depending on the administration. Consular officers have historically had broad discretion.Exceptions to this new pause will be "very limited" and only granted after an applicant fully clears public charge concerns.
The 2022 Biden-era version of the rule narrowed things down, mostly to cash assistance and long-term institutional care, while excluding programs like SNAP, WIC, Medicaid, or housing vouchers.
The Immigration and Nationality Act has always allowed consular officers to block applicants on public charge grounds. President Donald Trump expanded the definition in 2019 to cover a much wider range of benefits. Courts challenged that expansion, parts got blocked, and the Biden administration rescinded it.
If you enjoy Brain Flushings and would like to subscribe or Buy Me a Coffee, and check out the sponsors on this page, I would appreciate it, as it supports my work and my coffee drinking habit. No pressure and subscribing is free.
Here are more images from the Minnesota childcare fraud investigation that helped fuel this crackdown.
The full list of affected countries: 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. And a partridge in a pear tree.
America First means protecting our generosity from exploitation. This is a big step in that direction.
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