Visa applicants from Nigeria, Somalia, and Russia will now face fresh uncertainty as the United States has halted visa processing for 75 nations pending a review of its immigration screening rules.
The pause, ordered by the US State Department, is tied to stricter enforcement of the “public charge” provision of immigration law, which allows consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to depend on public welfare programmes.
The directive was contained in an internal memo first reported by Fox News.
Under the instruction, visa officers are to refuse applications using existing provisions of US immigration law while the review is ongoing.
The pause applies across multiple visa categories and will remain in force indefinitely until the reassessment is completed.
The policy shift is linked to the “public charge” rule, a long-standing element of US immigration law that allows authorities to deny visas to individuals considered likely to rely on public benefits.
In November 2025, the State Department issued guidance to embassies worldwide directing stricter enforcement of the rule.
That guidance expanded the factors consular officers must consider when assessing applicants, including age, health status, English proficiency, financial capacity, employment prospects and the potential need for long-term medical care.
Applicants deemed at risk of becoming dependent on public assistance can be denied entry.
Somalia has attracted particular attention from US authorities following a major fraud investigation in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered widespread abuse of taxpayer-funded welfare programmes.
Federal officials said many of those implicated were Somali nationals or Somali-Americans, a development that heightened scrutiny of visa applications linked to the country.
While Nigeria was not singled out in the memo, its inclusion places it among countries now subject to tougher migration controls at a time when many Nigerians apply annually for student, work, tourist and family-based visas to the US.
The State Department has not provided a timeline for the completion of the review or clarified whether humanitarian exemptions will apply.
The move is expected to deepen uncertainty for prospective travellers, students and families, particularly from developing countries, and could further strain diplomatic and people-to-people ties with affected nations.
Below is a list of countries affected by the new policy shift.
1. Afghanistan
2. Albania
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3. Algeria
4. Antigua and Barbuda
5. Armenia
6. Azerbaijan
7. Bahamas
8. Bangladesh
9. Barbados
10. Belarus
11. Belize
12. Bhutan
13. Bosnia
14. Brazil
15. Burma
16. Cambodia
17. Cameroon
18. Cape Verde
19. Colombia
20. Cote d’Ivoire
21. Cuba
22. Democratic Republic of the Congo
23. Dominica
24. Egypt
25. Eritrea
26. Ethiopia
27. Fiji
28. Gambia
29. Georgia
30. Ghana
31. Grenada
32. Guatemala
33. Guinea
34. Haiti
35. Iran
36. Iraq
37. Jamaica
38. Jordan
39. Kazakhstan
40. Kosovo
41. Kuwait
42.Kyrgyzstan
43. Laos
44. Lebanon
45. Liberia
46. Libya
47. Macedonia
48. Moldova
49. Mongolia
50. Montenegro
51. Morocco
52. Nepal
53. Nicaragua
54. Nigeria
55. Pakistan
56. Republic of the Congo
57. Russia
58. Rwanda
59. Saint Kitts and Nevis
60. Saint Lucia
61. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
62. Senegal
63. Sierra Leone
64. Somalia
65. South Sudan
66. Sudan
67. Syria
68. Tanzania
69. Thailand
70. Togo
71. Tunisia
72. Uganda
73. Uruguay
74. Uzbekistan
75. Yemen
(THECABLE)