On January 21, 2026, the Department of State is expected to pause consular immigrant visa processing for nationals of 75 countries. It is important to note that a pause is not the same thing as a permanent ban, nor is it the same as an automatic denial. In other words, it is expected that consular officers will be instructed to hold or delay cases rather than outright reject them. Accordingly, this means that such cases remain legally alive, even if they are not necessarily being moved forward.

A complete list of the impacted countries can be found here.

This pause will only impact immigrant visas, meaning non-immigrant visas such as tourist visas, student visas, business visas, and short-term travel to the United States (ESTAs) will not be impacted in this regard. With that being said, individuals seeking non-immigrant visas who are nationals of the listed countries may still face delays or denials if they are subject to separate travel bans or other restrictions already in place. For example, the August 2025 policy regarding good moral character and the December 16, 2025, proclamation regarding the restriction and limitation of foreign nationals still apply and have the potential to impact certain foreign nationals to whom such orders were targeted.

It is important to understand that this policy does not cancel approved immigrant petitions filed with USCIS, does not revoke green cards already issued, and does not automatically affect adjustment of status cases filed inside the United States. Further, it does not prevent U.S. citizens from filing new family petitions. In other words, the policy seems to be aimed primarily at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad.

Immigrant visa applicants should stay up-to-date with any communications from the State Department regarding their application, as processing will continue during this pause. Non-immigrant visa applicants from the countries subject to any of the recent policies should be aware of the possibility of increased delays, as well as increased scrutiny potentially to be applied to their visa applications.