The US State Department is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, including Armenia, in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge.
According to a State Department memo obtained by Fox News Digital, consular officers are instructed to refuse visas under existing law while the department conducts a reassessment of its screening and vetting procedures.
The pause is set to take effect on Jan. 21 and will remain in place indefinitely pending a reassessment of immigrant visa processing.
The State Department has not provided a timeline for when visa processing may resume. A spokesperson confirmed the suspension to Reuters but offered no additional details.
The reported pause comes amid a sweeping immigration crackdown pursued by Republican U.S. President Donald Trump since taking office last January.
In November, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from what he described as “Third World countries” after a shooting near the White House by an Afghan national that killed a member of the National Guard.
According to a list obtained by Fox News, the countries affected by the suspension are: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, the Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, the 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, and Yemen.
