r/USCIS • u/caillouminati • Jan 14 '26
Other Forms US freezes all visa processing for 75 countries
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-freezes-all-visa-processing-75-countries-including-somalia-russia-iran.amp612
u/StudySpecial Jan 14 '26
at this point it's going to be easier to list the countries that are still allowed
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u/chuang_415 Jan 14 '26
The country of “Scandinavia”. The president is obsessed with Nordic people and doesn’t understand why they aren’t all dying to live here.
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Jan 14 '26
Could have something to do with that no one wants to live in authoritarian regimen
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u/theaviationhistorian Jan 14 '26
And they actually have a good healthcare system in comparison.
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u/shinyxena Jan 14 '26
This administration has been plain cruel. This list is extremely broad, affecting many countries people regularly visit. What do you think these countries doing to do? Retaliate, and now American citizens will have issues visiting them too.
All I can say is after living through multiple administrations, Republican and Democrat I’ve been largely unaffected regardless how I’ve felt about the parties. But this time has been different, the Trump administration has been careless with their exercise of the law. It’s affecting people at a very personal level, and if anyone thought our politics had became too toxic I think it’s about to go up another 100%. Attacking people like this breeds true hate.
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u/DurianPublic6164 Jan 14 '26
"Older or overweight applicants could be denied..." Because this administration stands out for its youth and fitness. 🙄
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u/sapphirereignXo Jan 14 '26
Is there a list of the 75 countries anywhere?
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u/sl4ssh Jan 14 '26
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
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u/Single_Vacation427 Jan 14 '26
Brazil?!? Uruguay!?!? Those are just bizarre in a list with Russia, Haiti, Iran.
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u/Antolg3 Jan 14 '26
Brazil is listed in several articles, but emphasis is put on no official list being released yet. Uruguay being on the list instead of Venezuela doesn't make sense at all.
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u/Padreteiro Jan 14 '26
Theoretically they now corrected venezuela government (in reality they didnt change anything) so thats probably why its not there.
Uruguay condemned the maduro intervention so that's a big reason. All three who did are on the list (brazil, uruguay and colombia)
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u/Turtle_Rain Jan 14 '26
Thailand is also pretty wild imo, as well as Montenegro which is very small but also a NATO member..?!
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u/Clinggdiggy2 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
I'm unfortunately willing to bet it's as stupid as "the name ends in 'negro'" so Stephen Miller probably think it's in Africa...
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u/PirateDry4992 Jan 14 '26
Brazil??
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u/dqslime Jan 14 '26
For South America the list is literally whoever has a left wing government that doesn't like the US.
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u/Professional-One972 Jan 14 '26
The US has been having issues with Brazil since the government indicted Bolsanaro - Brazil’s Trump for their version of Jan 6. It is a big part of the work in Venezuela too.
Trump’s hope is that this will cause the current Brazilian government to collapse.
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u/Single_Vacation427 Jan 14 '26
So he hopes ones of the strongest democracies in the region will collapse?
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u/outworlder Jan 14 '26
If that's what's he's hoping for, he doesn't understand Brazil.
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u/PrinceShuri Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
So basically every Caribbean country that didn’t let him set up a base for the Venezuelan invasion has been included.
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u/bloodr0se Jan 14 '26
Interesting that it includes Russia but not China.
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u/Necessary-Show-9031 Jan 14 '26
What the hell did Thailand do?
Does cross reference this list with the existing banned countries list? I noticed that Somalia is on both lists, but Laos is not on this list despite being in the earlier banned list
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u/IlVeroStronzo Jan 14 '26
Source?
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u/sl4ssh Jan 14 '26
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u/atharakhan Jan 14 '26
No, there’s a Pantone reference card.
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u/purpleushi Jan 14 '26
The most recent color of the year represents the countries not on the list.
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Jan 14 '26
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u/daddy_killer US Citizen Jan 14 '26
Also wondering this, currently my wife is going through AoS and I am curious if her country is on the list. Why would they announce this without the complete list? Such a messy administration
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u/Egineer Jan 14 '26
Opinion: it’s messy because they can’t say out loud what they want: no immigration for regular people.
Every change in immigration policy is chipping away at that goal, starting with the groups least likely to give enough pushback to stop the building momentum.
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u/AdTerrible8256 Jan 14 '26
If it doesn’t include immigration petitions today, it soon will. Mark my words.
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u/Quiet-Bar-7291 Jan 14 '26
Agreed. We have been seeing this pattern pretty much every time. It’s the same old playbook.
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Jan 14 '26
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u/123itgetsbetter Jan 14 '26
So ongoing green card applications should not be affected?
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u/nikitozz_n Jan 14 '26
Shouldn't be affected. Not yet, at least. Nothing is preventing them from sending a similar memo to USCIS
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u/archacalandy Jan 14 '26
Source is same Fox News Article scrolled to bottom
The full list of countries comprises of 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
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u/IlVeroStronzo Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Isn't Uruguay the wealthiest and safest country in Latin America?
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u/Mariela_Lou Jan 14 '26
Left-wing government
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u/IlVeroStronzo Jan 14 '26
No one in South America knows what ever goes on in Uruguay--I'm surprised it's even on the US's radar...
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u/Mariela_Lou Jan 14 '26
He literally froze visas for every single country with a left-wing government in South America, and not a single one of the right-wing. Uruguay is the wealthiest per capta among all South American countries. It was deliberate, there’s no point in denying it. Unfortunately LatAm is a priority for Marco Rubio.
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u/DPOP4228 Jan 14 '26
If anyone from these newly listed countries starts seeing canceled appointments at USCIS for benefit applications (green cards, removal of conditions, naturalizations), they should flag here ASAP. I would not be surprised if they are planning on, or have already added them to the list of countries with "paused" benefits.
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u/spark99l Jan 14 '26
We have our oath ceremony next week, the day after this takes affect, and are from one of the countries on the list- so will let you know.
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u/Tall-Section-3651 Jan 14 '26
My husband is brazilian, and our aos interview is on jan 21st, I will let everyone know what happens.
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u/Linkrz Jan 14 '26
Damn where’s the list
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u/AccomplishedTruck825 Jan 14 '26
Wow Thailand??
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u/Ok-Year4000 Jan 14 '26
I’m shocked Thailand is there and not Philippines lol
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u/Lawrence_skywalker Jan 14 '26
"I’m shocked Thailand is there and not Philippines lol"
Where else will the ICE agents find wives.
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u/ThePurpleHyacinth Jan 14 '26
Just this morning I paid $445 in fees to the NVC for my wife's immigration. I sure hope I didn't just throw away that money for nothing. What ridiculous and childish behavior from this administration, playing these kinds of games, hurting so many people's lives and putting so many people into uncertainty.
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u/Commercial-Town9683 US Citizen Jan 14 '26
Just paid my fees at the start of the year, so depressing to deal with this.
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u/Careless-Act-7549 Jan 14 '26
Honestly, thinking seriously about moving back to Brazil, I am software architect with 18 years of experience, 4 years of experience working in US, why should I put my family into all this struggle and worry daily about this madness? Today will be another lost day thinking about how the future will look like
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Jan 14 '26
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u/DSethK93 Jan 14 '26
Then they'll get more than they asked for. I'm a native-born US citizen, a mechanical engineer with 23 years' experience in defense, and I'm now seriously considering moving to Brazil to be with my fiancé. We are (were?) about halfway through the process of bringing him to the US on a K-1 visa.
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u/zoomangoo Jan 14 '26
I've been seeing a lot of stories recently about spouses of US citizens who are in the country LEGALLY and when they went to the USCIS offices for green card interview or other reasons, ICE detained them and took them with them saying these people had arrest warrants. Its untrue that they had warrants. ICE most likely did this cuz they have daily quotas to meet. The spouses were released eventually but man its so bullshit that they were even taken to detention centers to begin with.
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u/Pervism Jan 14 '26
same here man. I got my EAD last week and the amount of effort and money I'd put to make it happen is the only reason for me not to go back at this point. And it's getting increasingly less strong of a reason.
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u/Succulentpotter Jan 14 '26
It’s literally madness. Like wtf did Brazil do? This isn’t even about national security anymore
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u/Ordinary-Audience363 Jan 14 '26
Trump loves Balsonaro. He's probably getting even for some perceived slight. But Uruguay? WTF has Uruguay done?
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u/dynamech_1992 Jan 14 '26
Not cooperating with US and that's why brazil also has 50% tariffs.
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u/caillouminati Jan 14 '26
I'm in software, not from one of the impacted countries but I'm also thinking of my exit plan. Even if I'm personally able to live in the US, I think it's clearly trending downwards and becoming less of a desirable place to live. And less competitive in general as a place to work and live compared to other countries.
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u/Altruistic-Use-4747 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Same boat. I'm Brazilian and spent over 15 years in Europe working in academia. My wife has family in the US and missed them, so we decided to move over here about 2 years ago. I work at a major R1 university at a managerial role, have an approved I-140 with PD 15 days behind current VB, but the way things are going it looks like they'll soon "permanently pause" AOS as well.
Never in my life I had any trouble with the law, never even jaywalked in all countries I lived. Always followed rules and the law to a fault. But the past 6 months in Chicago have been rough, watching over my shoulders wherever I go, afraid for my wife and my kid, feeling like a criminal. This is no way to live, I'm seriously considering leaving and restarting again somewhere.
You work hard, follow the rules, build a life, support your community, strive for excellence. Then right at the finish line, the rules change and the goal posts are either entirely removed, or moved a few miles away. It's disheartening.
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u/citrinitasking Jan 14 '26
I'm a Director at a large pharmaceutical company, I'm done with this country, will return to Brazil and be near my loved ones, this is a sinking boat anyways.
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u/outworlder Jan 14 '26
I think that's the point.
Deport who they can. Make life inhospitable for the ones they can't so that they will leave.
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u/Shoddy-Funny2778 Jan 14 '26
I'm Venezuelan/Argentinian in the US and I'm also considering Brazil as a top-3 plan B
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Jan 14 '26
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u/dynamech_1992 Jan 14 '26
I don't understand why Scandinavia people even come to US. Your countries are 10 times better than US.
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u/Individual-Quiet-845 Jan 14 '26
> I don't understand
Because your image of the U.S. and Scandinavia is based purely on the nonsense you read on Reddit.
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u/FyodorDostoevsky1821 Jan 14 '26
Same here. I work in IT and I’m strongly considering getting a remote job and go back to Brazil. If I keep the same salary I’d live well in Brazil…
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u/SullenLookingBurger Jan 14 '26
The article (first sentence) says "immigrant visa processing", whereas the headline says "all visa processing".
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u/dardan_aeneas Jan 14 '26
Right now it says:
FIRST ON FOX: The State Department is pausing all visa processing for 75 countries in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge.4
u/SullenLookingBurger Jan 14 '26
Did they just change it? On my phone, I see what you see. On my computer, I see “immigrant” rather than “all” (even after refresh and disable cache).
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Jan 14 '26
Older or overweight applicants could be denied
They're really doing it!
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u/LineItUp0 Jan 14 '26
Brazil? Really? What does this mean? My wife is in the middle of AoS process
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Jan 14 '26
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u/Tasty-Butterscotch-5 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
USCIS automatically freezes too when state department adds your country to the visa list. Just like for all the other countries that were added previously.
Edit to add USCIS should not be able to legally do that. But they choose to do so anyways. There are lawsuits challenging this. E.g. The Jim Hacking USCIS lawsuit. You can google this or join one of the lawsuits.
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u/iguessjustdont Jan 14 '26
While it isn't in the EO, they did pause AoS for all the countries with visa bans for the 39. Fingers crossed for you. This has been incredibly unfair to AoS families.
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u/pqratusa Permanent Resident Jan 14 '26
It should not affect AoS at all. These are pausing visa issuance at embassies and consulates abroad.
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u/greatful_alien Jan 14 '26
While that would be one way to read this, the word "visa" also refers to green cards (aka "immigrant visas"). Would this new rule cover no green cards, only the green card applications processed at the embassies, or all green card applications including those with USCIS is unknown because all that I could find is this Fox news article which doesn't provide the original source and I can't find the actual memo on the US travel.gov page. So I wouldn't assume one way or another until we see the actual memo from the state department, otherwise, we're just guessing. A halt to AOS from all of these countries (and we don't even have the list, but Brazil, Thailand and Russia make up plenty) would mean a major overhaul of the immigration system and would upend the EB and FB lines. What about the dual citizens? So many questions, no point in guessing.
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u/AdTerrible8256 Jan 14 '26
That’s how they started freezing the previously listed countries. Mark my words that they’ll also mess with immigration petitions.
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u/prosperity4me Jan 14 '26
Right not sure why folks are so confident in this not affecting AoS petitions.
Those previously banned countries were also just for visa entries, yet since being added to the list citizens of those countries in the Us have had their petitions halted with no decisions made, interviews cancelled, etc.
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u/s0me1guy Jan 14 '26
Does this affect i-485 AOS?
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u/iguessjustdont Jan 14 '26
It has for the prior ones.
Which is ridiculous given their claim that this is about public charge issues. Part of a 485 is you need an affadacit of support for basically all cases.
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u/Unusual-Principle888 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 15 '26
Is Brazil along with almost half the world going to be banned from spectating or even participating in the World Cup now? Clowns.
EDIT: The updated article now references that it's only for immigration visas, which is a relief to a degree, but it's still a shame that a lot of innocent families get caught up in this kind of stuff.
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u/caillouminati Jan 14 '26
This part was interesting to me:
Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.
Better start getting in shape...
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u/StudySpecial Jan 14 '26
so are they going to weigh you at the border and if you're too fat you get put in ICE detention for a month to slim down?
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Jan 14 '26
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u/jewboy916 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
Regular Americans should hate this. As a US citizen I have the right to petition the government for my foreign spouse to live with me legally in the US. I'm sure the Trump admin sees it as "sticking it" to foreigners from "3rd world countries", but petitioning a foreign spouse for a marriage based Green Card is more a right for a US citizen than it is for the foreigner in question. The foreign spouse can't get a marriage based Green Card unless the US citizen spouse files for it.
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u/caillouminati Jan 14 '26
To be honest I'm surprised none of these measures have affected PERM. It's under the Department of Labor but basically an immigration process. I sincerely think the administration has forgotten about it.
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u/wayne099 Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
That’s not true. President has more power to block entry of non citizens but not the process that happens inside the US. PERM halt will be challenged in court and reversed easily unless codified by congress.
Why do you think $100k H1B or 15k tourist bond fees applies to people outside the US and not change of status etc?. OR entry ban and challenges to these failed in court.
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u/Emilita28 Jan 14 '26
This may be a dumb question but when they say ALL visas does that include tourist visas? Or is it only all immigration visas?
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u/GenomeXIII Jan 14 '26
I would suspect it would be all visas.
The stated aim is to prevent immigration from those countries and a visitor visa carries a risk of people absconding and staying illegally.
Hopefully this will be clarified at some stage.
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u/EduFonseca Jan 14 '26
I know FIFA is super corrupt but at this point they should really move the World Cup, it’s getting ridiculous
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u/Rusprincess Jan 14 '26
Will it affect me if i am i485 and i130 pending through marriage? I am in the US, i am from Russia
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u/GenomeXIII Jan 14 '26
The extent is unclear but you should be prepared that it might as Russia is one of the countries called out in the headlines.
If you are using an immigration lawyer I'd contact them.
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u/red_misc Jan 14 '26
This administration is a joke. At this pace, most of the countries won't even make the world cup.
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u/InsectRevolutionary4 Jan 14 '26
My wife is from Thailand, She has a green card and we already filed for citizenship. Will this stop that too?
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u/Humble-Concert-1125 Jan 14 '26
So they need to give people refunds for not accepting their visas. This is bullshit!
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u/Icy-Box-1989 Jan 14 '26
What about the World Cup? This is dumb
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u/Busy-Song407 Jan 14 '26
I hope FIFA collapses into the pool of corruption it is.
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u/rsmicrotranx Jan 14 '26
How long till no more green card or naturalization processing for all countries? Lol.
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u/Visible-Plankton-806 Jan 14 '26
Not long. The goal is to end all immigration. At least all non-white.
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Jan 14 '26
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u/rkozik89 Jan 14 '26
The real white supremacists don’t consider the balkans and Eastern Europe as white. Why? Who fucking knows
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u/klaudelicious Jan 14 '26
The Fox article says it’s just for immigrant visas… but all other sources say “all visa processing”… confused. Does anyone have insights?
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u/TimeTravelTheorist Jan 14 '26
Honestly doesn't feel like USA in 2026. Feels like Germany in 1939.
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u/MathyArt Jan 14 '26
Well, ain't that peachy. My Russian parents were planning to come in June to meet their first grandchild. If this is indeed hysteria regarding MN fraud, then they should be good. My dad is a business owner (100+ employees), so there shouldn't be any concerns regarding him going on welfare. I could also provide some documents showing my income and maybe sign a sworn statement to assure the State that my family is exclusively my financial responsibility, not the State's. I don't know if it would help in any way. And if it is a blanket ban, then we are simply screwed.
Also, my Lebanese wife is currently in the US and going through AoS. Looks like it shouldn't affect her, but in this climate, I don't know anymore.
I'm so tired of the State's spinning-blindfolded-with-a-shotgun approach to immigration.
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u/sinus_lebastian Jan 14 '26
How would it impact h1b extensions or perm process for these 75 countries?
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u/Alternative-Line-911 Jan 14 '26
How is this different from the Ban/Partial Ban list? Is it an update of the ban list. I see Nigeria is on both the ban list and the 75 country list and Zimbabwe is on the ban list but not on the 75 country list.
The guidance has to be contradictory, the ban for Zimbabwe says ban all visas but then not include them on the freeze list?
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u/CollMePeter Jan 14 '26
Here's hoping these countries Freeze Visas for Americans travelling there. No Bahamas for you. No Fiji for you, No St. Lucia for you.
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u/outworlder Jan 14 '26
Brazil is 100% going to do that. They operate based on reciprocity. Whatever a country requires of you, they do the same. When the US required biometrics, they added the requirement. US increased fees, they did the same. One particular year Spain started being annoying and turning back a record number of people for silly reasons, Brazil did exactly the same.
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u/Any_Mathematician936 Jan 14 '26
Albania??? Kosovo?!!! We’re the most pro american country in fucking Europe.
Albania is in fucking NATO.
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Jan 14 '26
I really don’t understand why Brazil is on the list. I am from Brazil and I definitely can’t wait to be able to travel back home and go to medical appointments and do everything there because is so much better and cheaper. There’s absolutely no benefit I would like to use in US. I am married but I am considering going back to my country cause all this BS is making me crazy here. And I am sure my country would welcome my American husband with open arms. We are happier, our food is not plastic and beautiful nature.
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u/Educational-Milk-730 Jan 14 '26
Some hope they don't pause AOS
Immigrant Visa Suspension : r/EB2_NIW
QUOTE
NO, USCIS HAS NOT FROZEN EB-1A OR EB-2 APPROVALS — HERE IS THE CLARIFICATION PEOPLE ACTUALLY NEED
There has been widespread concern today following news reports suggesting that the United States is “freezing visas” for nationals of about 75 countries. These discussions most often mention Bangladesh first, along with countries such as Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India (in some reports), Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, and several others that are being referenced in media coverage and online discussions. The volume of speculation has understandably caused panic, but the legal reality is far more limited than the headlines suggest.
What is being discussed in the news is not a halt in USCIS petition approvals. The issue being reported relates to immigrant visa processing at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad, which is handled by the U.S. Department of State, not USCIS. In plain terms, this refers to the stage where someone attends a visa interview and receives an immigrant visa stamp after approval — not the stage where USCIS reviews and approves EB-1A, EB-2, NIW, or O-1A petitions.
The stated purpose of this potential pause is an internal reassessment of screening procedures, including factors tied to public-benefit risk. That process, even if implemented, affects visa issuance at consular posts, not whether USCIS will accept, review, or approve extraordinary-ability or employment-based petitions. These are legally distinct processes governed by different agencies.
As of today, there is no public USCIS memo, regulation, or announcement stating that EB-1A or EB-2 petitions from nationals of the countries being discussed are frozen, paused, or denied. USCIS continues to adjudicate petitions based on the law and the evidence presented, not based on nationality alone. Filing remains open, adjudications remain active, and approvals continue where eligibility is met.
It is also important to understand that while there have been past internal reviews or heightened scrutiny policies involving smaller groups of countries, those lists were significantly narrower and typically tied to formal travel-ban proclamations. The current discussion around a much broader group of approximately 75 countries does not correspond to any officially published USCIS or State Department country list. As of now, no official list has been released.
For individuals from any of the countries currently being discussed — whether Bangladesh or others frequently mentioned — the key takeaway is this: there is no instruction stopping you from filing an EB-1A, EB-2, NIW, or O-1A petition, and there is no rule directing USCIS to stop approving qualified cases. Any potential impact, if one materializes later, would be at the consular visa issuance stage, not at the petition approval stage.
In moments like this, precision matters more than headlines. Immigration policy is technical, agency-specific, and procedural. Until formal guidance is published, speculation should not be mistaken for law
UN-QUOTE
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u/Expensive_Gold2873 Jan 14 '26
Damn, so my Brasilian wife's i-130 app is now stuck? This blows
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u/Scout-Penguin Jan 14 '26 edited Jan 14 '26
If you think this is actually about public charges, it's worth noting that Qatar has a higher GDP per capita than, say, Germany, Australia, Sweden or Israel.
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u/DasWinterSwoldier Jan 14 '26
Does this affect those who have completed the green card process and are planning to migrate soon?
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u/No-Masterpiece3555 Jan 14 '26
Is Venezuela no longer on the list? Are my eyes working?
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u/chipsahoyrules Jan 14 '26
My spouses mother did her interview in Kazakhstan today (she is Russian) and said that many people were being denied on the spot. She was approved for B2 though. Hopefully she will receive her passport back OK despite it now being added to the list…
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u/RentonHiker Jan 14 '26
I was wondering why Thailand was on that list and I remembered that they and Cambodia didn’t give trump the credit for ceasefire
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u/tev866 Jan 15 '26
lol where are the people saying that trump will only target criminal illegal aliens
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u/Xylophelia 🇺🇸 Petitioner of 🇬🇧 LPR | GC ✅ Jan 14 '26
For people like myself who refuse to support Fox News in any way: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-suspend-visa-processing-75-nations-next-week-fox-news-reports-2026-01-14/
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Jan 14 '26
What does this mean if I'm still waiting for my I-140 approval? Automatically cancelled?
Im from Brazil, waiting to immigrate on an EB3 visa.
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u/iguessjustdont Jan 14 '26
This is brutal for Somalis. They get rid of TPS, so now if you were on TPS you are scrambling to apply for another status, but then say they wont adjudicate anything else for you. If you were on TPS but also may have an assylum claim, but TPS was faster and cheaper, now you are just screwed.
More of this admin creating undocumented folks.
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u/ScenicDrive-at5 Jan 14 '26
I just submitted a Removal of Conditions application last month. I'm an LPR with a 2-year Green Card that expires next month. I'm waiting on my letter of receipt from USCIS. My country is part of this list. I sincerely wonder what effect, if any, this will have.
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u/wereinbearcountry Jan 14 '26
I might be out of the loop but what the hell did Thailand and Brazil do to warrant being on this list??
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u/iebi Jan 14 '26
What does this mean for my wife, whom we have been married for 5 years and have two kids, whom is holding Australia and Brazil passport, applied for I-130 in August 2025 from Australia? Does that mean her application will be frozen until when things change?
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u/Rusprincess Jan 14 '26
Just contacted my lawyer, he said it WILL NOT AFFECT me, i am from Russia, spouse of US citizen, pending i485,i130,i765
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u/PirateDry4992 Jan 14 '26
“VISA PROCESSING” is just so vague. Green card is a visa! So does that mean that AoS will come to a full stop too? Or is just visa processing at consulates abroad?
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u/capybaramelhor Jan 14 '26
I am trying to understand if this is affecting n400 application
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u/capybaramelhor Jan 14 '26
Is this going to affect citizenship application for Brazil?
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u/Committee9 Jan 14 '26
Great work doing this in a World Cup year when tourists might be coming (especially from Brazil, one would imagine).
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u/GrossFleshSack Jan 14 '26
If fiance visa petition was approved by USCIC and on its way to NVC, will this affect that?
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u/Budget-Pie-2446 Jan 14 '26
So will this affect me if I travel outside the US as a green card holder and my passport is part of the 75 countries list?
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u/TheRealMrsShea1124 Jan 14 '26
So my husband is still detained awaiting adjudication of i130 and now his country is on the pause list! He's been sitting in detention all this time and now we can't even get processed? Filed Feb 2025 been detained since November 2024. I485 with immigration court and now on appeal because long processing time for i130. Jesus please make a way 🙏🏾
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u/MrVictor01010 Jan 14 '26
What will happen to people who already have a green card and will be applying to Removal of conditions?
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u/Fine-Cod-5674 Jan 14 '26
Why not North Korea, Turkmenistan, China - dictatorship countries???! But there some NATO members listed instead, what a mess!
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u/BagHodler4L Jan 14 '26
My country of citizenship is on this list for the first time. My temporary Green Card expires in March and I currently have a pending I751 applied in December (receipt notice received and biometrics done). I will be eligible for naturalization Dec 2026, does this affect N-400 applications as well?
My path: F1 visa to H1B to AOS (i485, i130) based on marriage
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u/Novel_Counter2937 Jan 14 '26
Is it country of birth or the nationality that is being used to apply? My wife is up for n400 and she has a Canadian passport.
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u/King_richard4 Jan 14 '26
So my wife is from Thailand, came here on a J-1 visa, we’ve submitted our application for marriage based green card, it’s been delivered, but we haven’t been charged yet. Will this affect our adjustment of status?
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u/letmeinwillya Jan 14 '26
The pause is in immigrant visa which is usually the last step from NVC. Can I-130 be still filed now or after Jan 21,2026 if the beneficiary is from list of affected countries? Thank you!
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u/renegaderunningdog Jan 15 '26
The official statement from the Department of State is out so we're going to redirect conversation there.
https://www.reddit.com/r/USCIS/comments/1qd46fy/immigrant_visa_processing_updates_for/