The United States is imposing an indefinite halt on most family-based green card processing for people from 75 countries, including Haiti, Brazil, and Cuba, as part of a new review of immigrants' use of public benefits, starting January 21.
The State Department has ordered U.S. embassies and consulates to stop deciding immigrant visa cases for these nationalities while it reworks how officers judge whether a person is likely to become a "public charge," or depend on government support in the future. The freeze applies worldwide and has no announced end date.
Which Countries Are Affected and How Many Immigrants Will Be Impacted
The list of 75 countries spans nearly every region and covers close to 40 percent of the world's nations. It includes major migrant‑sending countries such as Brazil, Colombia, Haiti, Cuba, Nigeria, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Russia, and Somalia, along with many in Africa, the Caribbean, South Asia, and the Middle East, according to the Miami Herald.
According to experts, this move will deny entry to approximately 315,000 legal immigrants in the upcoming year, effectively rejecting roughly half of all legal immigrants the United States typically accepts.
The pause covers all immigrant visas processed abroad, including family‑based green cards for spouses, children, parents, and siblings of U.S. citizens and permanent residents, as well as employment‑based and diversity visa immigrants.
Temporary visas for tourists, students, and short‑term workers are not part of the suspension, although they may face tougher financial scrutiny. The State Department has already revoked over 100,000 visas since Trump took office, signaling an aggressive approach to immigration enforcement.
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Legal Challenges and What Families Should Expect Next
Officials say the move is needed to protect U.S. taxpayers and tighten screening under long‑standing public charge rules. In a statement, the State Department said it would block immigrants from countries where, in its view, too many newcomers end up using welfare or other public assistance, Fox News reported.
Recent guidance now considers expanded health conditions as negative factors in public charge determinations, including diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure and mental health conditions.
Immigration lawyers and advocacy groups warn the policy will split families, deepen backlogs, and shut down legal paths for many low‑ and middle‑income migrants.
Families who have already completed interviews or waited years in line now face open‑ended delays, with little clarity on whether their cases will move forward or need to be re‑evaluated. The national immigration backlog has already swelled to over 5.4 million cases, with processing times increasing significantly across multiple categories.
The new suspension builds on earlier travel bans and expanded public charge guidance introduced since Trump returned to office, which already limited visas and refugee admissions from several of the same countries.
Lawsuits and congressional challenges are expected, but for now, applicants from the 75 nations must prepare for their family‑based green card cases to remain on hold, as per NPR.
