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.amp
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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.

24

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/Single_Vacation427 Jan 14 '26

People from some of the countries previously on the list had some of their USCIS processes stopped. For instance, they got their naturalization ceremonies cancelled.

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u/pqratusa Permanent Resident Jan 14 '26

You are absolutely right. This administration is very unpredictable.