US to suspend visa processing for 75 nations from January 21
The Trump administration is halting virtually all visa processing for people seeking to live in the United States from 75 countries whose citizens are eligible to participate in an immigration lottery, a State Department spokesman said on Wednesday.
The spokesperson did not provide details of the plan, which was first reported by Politico, and cited a State Department memo.
The pause will go into effect on Jan. 21.
Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria and Thailand are among the countries affected by the smear campaigns, according to the report.
The memo orders US embassies to deny visas under current law as the department reviews its procedures. No time frame was provided.
The reported pause is the latest indication of Republican US President Donald Trump's aggressive pursuit of sweeping immigration crackdowns since he officially began his term in January.
In November, Trump had pledged to suspend migration from all “Third World Countries” in the wake of a near lethal shooting outside the White House at the hands of an Afghan national that resulted in death of one National Guard member.
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