President Donald Trump has announced a suspension of immigrant visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, effective January 21, 2026.
While several African nations, including Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria, are affected, Kenya has been excluded from the list, offering relief to Kenyan applicants seeking immigrant visas to the US.
“The pause will take effect on January 21 and will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said.
According to U.S. officials, the decision was influenced by concerns that nationals from the affected countries have sought public benefits in the United States.
“The State Department will pause immigrant visa processing from 75 countries whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates. The freeze will remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” read part of the statement.
List of Countries Affected as Trump Suspends Immigrant Visas
The U.S. government stated that the move is intended to ensure that the generosity of the American people is no longer abused.
The following African countries are affected by the suspension of immigrant visa processing:
Algeria, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Yemen.
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Trump previously banned travel from 12 African countries, including five that are not mentioned in the new list: Burkina Faso, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Mali, and Niger.
Other countries facing partial restrictions include Angola, Benin, Gabon, Malawi, Mauritania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The U.S Legal Immigration
Trump has pursued a sweeping immigration crackdown since returning to office
His administration has aggressively prioritized immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major U.S. cities and sparking violent confrontations with both migrants and U.S. citizens.
While he campaigned on stopping illegal immigration into the United States, his administration has also made legal immigration more difficult – for example, by imposing new and expensive fees, opening a new tab for applicants of H-1B visas for highly skilled workers.
“This administration has proven itself to have the most anti-legal immigration agenda in American history,” David Bier, Cato’s Director of Immigration Studies and The Selz Foundation Chair in Immigration Policy, said in a statement.
“This action will ban nearly half of all legal immigrants to the United States, turning away about 315,000 legal immigrants over the next year alone,” Bier said.
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The State Department has revoked more than 100,000 visas since Trump took office and adopted a stricter policy on granting visas, with tightened social media vetting and expanded screening.
In November 2025, Trump had vowed to permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries, following a shooting near the White House by an Afghan national that killed a National Guard member.
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