Washington, 14 January 2026 (dpa/MIA) — The US is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including our country.

The US State Department confirmed the move at the request of dpa on Wednesday, and specified that visa procedures relating to permanent stays (immigrant visas) are being paused.

These visas are applied for by people who want to settle permanently in the US. As a rule, these do not involve temporary stays such as study or work periods of a specific duration. Nor do they involve holidays in the US, for which no visa is required from many countries when an entry permit is obtained.

The State Department did not disclose which countries are affected by the new restrictions. However, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt posted a report on the subject by Fox News on the platform X and wrote that Somalia, Russia and Iran were among the 75 countries.

"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," Fox News said.

No reason was given for the suspension of the visa process. The State Department also remained unclear when the suspension would come into effect, though Fox News reported the start date would be Jan. 21.

The State Department has yet to announce how long the suspension will last. In recent months, Donald Trump's US administration has repeatedly introduced stricter rules in its migration policy.