The State Department announced on Wednesday that it will suspend processing immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Iran and Russia.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the department had instructed officers to pause immigrant visa applications from the countries on the list in compliance with a November order that addressed immigrants that may become “public charges” in the United States.
“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,” the department said in a statement. “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.”
All U.S. consulates and embassies also received communication that non-immigrant visa applicants should be screened for the likelihood that they would need public assistance once they are in the United States.
“With the uncovering of massive public benefits fraud across the United States, the Trump administration is laser-focused on eliminating and preventing fraud in public benefits programs,” said the message that was sent on Monday.
The message went further to say that applicants must prove that they wouldn’t apply for public assistance while in the U.S. and may need to fill out forms related to their financial status.
The Trump administration has already issued travel restrictions on several countries, most of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
The countries affected by the suspension announced on Wednesday are:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Congo, Cuba, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, 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.
The suspension will begin on Jan. 21 and will not apply to those seeking non-immigrant visas, tourist or business visas.
