The Trump administration has reassured thousands after announcing an indefinite suspension of processing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries last week. The move will come into effect on January 21. It applies to people seeking to live and work permanently in the US. However, dual nationals with a passport of a country not affected, according to the State Department.
Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn of the White House before boarding Marine One (Bloomberg)
Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said that the visa freeze is aimed an ending ‘the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people’.
Immediately after the visa processing freeze was first announced, thousands of soccer fans who have booked tickets to attend the FIFA World Cup in the US and Mexico this year panicked. However, the State Department has offered an explanation. Out of the 75 countries in the list, 15 are due to participate in the tournament.
They are: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Algeria, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Iran, Jordan, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay, and Uzbekistan.
A State Department spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “This action applies to the issuance of immigrant visas only, and does not apply to nonimmigrant visas, such as those for tourists, athletes and their families, and media professionals intending to travel for the World Cup.”
Full list of countries affected by the suspension
Afghanistan
Albania
Algeria
Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Bahamas
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belarus
Belize
Bhutan
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
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
Moldova
Mongolia
Montenegro
Morocco
Myanmar
Nepal
Nicaragua
Nigeria
North Macedonia
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
Yemen