The State Department announced the decision January 14 through social media but declined to publish a full list of affected countries. Officials instead referred reporters to coverage by FOX News, which reported that citizens of roughly 75 countries across Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and parts of Europe and Asia would be covered by the pause.

 

 

The decision affects individuals seeking to immigrate permanently to the United States and does not appear to apply to tourists or athletes traveling on temporary visas, according to administration officials. The restrictions are not expected to affect players participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.

 

The move comes amid heightened political focus on Somali immigrants in Minnesota, where the Twin Cities metro hosts the nation’s largest concentration of Somali-Americans. President Donald Trump and his allies have recently highlighted a state fraud case involving nutrition assistance programs, portraying it as evidence of systemic abuse of public benefits.

 

Federal prosecutors first brought those fraud cases during the Biden administration, but the issue has been amplified in recent weeks by Trump allies. On January 12, Elon Musk, a prominent Trump supporter, reposted a graphic shared by Trump claiming Somali immigrant households receive public assistance at higher rates than native-born families.

 

Administration officials say the visa pause is part of a broader effort to expand enforcement of "public charge” rules, which require legal immigrants to demonstrate they are unlikely to rely on government assistance. Since 1882, U.S. immigration law has included public charge provisions intended to ensure immigrants can support themselves through work, savings or sponsorship.

 

Federal officials have previously said stricter enforcement could save taxpayers as much as $9 billion annually.

 

Under changes introduced during Trump’s first term, the government expanded the list of public benefits that could be considered in immigration decisions, including Medicaid and federally subsidized child care. Those changes also applied to immigrants already in the United States seeking permanent residency.

 

The Biden administration rolled back those rules in 2022. In November 2025, during Trump’s second term, the administration proposed giving frontline visa officers broader discretion to consider nearly any factor related to an applicant’s financial self-sufficiency, according to prior statements from the Department of Homeland Security.

 

The pause announced January 14 gives federal agencies time to determine how additional factors should be weighed, including an applicant’s age, whether family members in the United States receive government benefits, and whether the applicant previously received federal assistance on behalf of an American citizen child.

 

Immigration-rights groups warn the move could have unintended consequences for U.S. citizens in mixed-status families and note that immigrant use of public benefits declined even before the 2019 rule took effect.

 

Administration officials said the new restrictions are scheduled to take effect January 21.

 

According to FOX News, the affected countries include Somalia, Haiti, Iran, Cuba, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, South Sudan and dozens of others across multiple regions. The State Department has not independently confirmed the full list.