The United States is set to suspend visa processing for citizens from 75 nations, according to Fox News Digital who claimed to have seen a memo. This represents one of President Donald Trump’s most severe actions yet in his administration’s ongoing crackdown on immigration.
According to the report by Fox News, a State Department memorandum, which has not been made public, outlines that visa application services will be halted indefinitely for dozens of countries, said the source, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information.
The affected countries range from Afghanistan, Iran, Russia, and Somalia—places from which obtaining US visas was already exceedingly difficult—to others where the announcement comes as a significant surprise, such as Brazil, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Iraq, and Yemen.
The suspension is set to bar new travel to the United States from citizens of over one-third of the world’s nearly 200 countries.
This action follows renewed calls by President Trump for tighter visa policies, after an Afghan national was implicated in the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington late last year. The administration has also targeted Somali nationals for the termination of deportation protections, as part of a broader push to increase removals in states like Minnesota, home to a significant Somali community.
According to Fox’s report, consular officials have been instructed to halt consideration of visa applications until further notice, pending a comprehensive reassessment of vetting and screening standards. The suspension, set to begin January 21, will continue indefinitely until the review is complete.
The Trump administration has previously tightened visa policies, layering more stringent checks atop a U.S. vetting process already regarded among the toughest globally. Last year, directives required U.S. consular staff to intensify scrutiny of applicants, including detailed reviews of social media for indications of anti-American sentiment.
