{"id":117020,"date":"2026-01-14T09:01:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/us-freezes-all-visa-processing-for-75-countries-including-somalia-russia-iran-117020"},"modified":"2026-01-14T09:01:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T14:01:44","slug":"us-freezes-all-visa-processing-for-75-countries-including-somalia-russia-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/us-freezes-all-visa-processing-for-75-countries-including-somalia-russia-iran-117020","title":{"rendered":"US freezes all visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

FIRST ON FOX:<\/strong> The State Department<\/a> is pausing all visa processing for 75 countries in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of visa processing.<\/p>\n

WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA\u2019S \u2018FEEDING OUR FUTURE\u2019 FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP\u2019S LATEST CRACKDOWN<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny from federal officials following a sweeping fraud scandal centered in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered massive abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Many of those involved are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed consular officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules<\/a> under the so-called “public charge” provision of immigration law.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.<\/p>\n

Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“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.”<\/p>\n

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REVOKES MORE THAN 100,000 VISAS IN FIRST YEAR BACK<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

While the public charge provision has existed for decades, enforcement has varied widely across administrations, with consular officers historically given broad discretion in applying the standard.<\/p>\n

Exceptions to the new pause will be “very limited” and only allowed after an applicant has cleared public charge considerations.<\/p>\n

A 2022 version of the public charge rule under the Biden administration had limited the scope of benefits considered \u2014 primarily to cash assistance and long-term institutional care \u2014 excluding programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, Medicaid or housing vouchers.<\/p>\n

The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted consular officers to deem applicants inadmissible on public charge grounds, but President Donald Trump<\/a> in 2019 expanded the definition to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion was challenged in court, with portions ultimately blocked before being rescinded by the Biden administration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/politics\/us-freezes-all-visa-processing-75-countries-including-somalia-russia-iran <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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