US Stops Visas for 75 Countries, Russia Included

The US is reportedly freezing visa processing for nationals from 75 nations – including Russia and Iran – starting Jan. 21.

Fox News, citing a “State Department memo,” said the memo instructs consulates to refuse visas from the listed countries indefinitely while the State Department reviews the application and vetting process.

Ukraine is not on the list, while Russia and Iran are among the nations listed; Fox News later published the full list as follows:

Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, 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. 

In December, the US deported 64 Russian nationals, including rejected asylum seekers and individuals who violated US law, such as overstaying their visas. Some were reportedly drafted upon arrival in Moscow.

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State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott claimed the latest ban was prompted by the misuse of public benefits by foreign nationals.

“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” Piggott said in a statement.

“Immigration from these 75 countries will be paused while the State Department reassess immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” he added.

Fox News said there will be “very limited” exceptions under the new ban.

The latest ban follows an earlier announcement in November 2025 over similar allegations made against foreign nationals, as noted by Fox News. At the time, the State Department referenced US President Donald Trump’s Executive Order titled “Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders,” issued in February 2025.

On Dec. 19, the State Department announced visa restrictions on nationals of 39 countries, effective Jan. 1, over alleged security concerns. Some of the countries listed overlap with those named in the Fox News report.

Full suspension is applied to Afghanistan, Burma, Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Partial suspension is applied to Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote D’Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Turkmenistan, a former Soviet state in Central Asia, is also included in the immigrant visa application ban.

“We are protecting our nation and its citizens by using rigorous, security-focused screening and vetting procedures to ensure that individuals approved for a visa do not endanger national security or public safety,” the department said in a press release at the time.