Consular Immigrant Visa Processing Pause for 75 Countries

The U.S. Department of State has announced a pause on immigrant visa processing at U.S. consulates abroad for nationals of  75 countries. The announcement was confirmed in a recent Department of State post on X and has been widely reported.

Scope of the immigrant visa processing pause

• Applies only to immigrant visa cases processed at U.S. consulates abroad (consular processing)
• Does not apply to:
  • Adjustment of status (Form I-485) filed with USCIS by foreign nationals already in the U.S. in an eligible status
  • Nonimmigrant visas (e.g., H-1B, L-1, O-1, F-1, B-1/B-2)

Practical impact of the immigrant visa processing pause

• Employment-based and family-based green card cases requiring final adjudication abroad may be delayed or paused
• Employers should confirm whether sponsored employees are pursuing consular processing or adjustment of status, as strategy options may differ

Afghanistan	Albania	Algeria	Antigua and Barbuda
Armenia	Azerbaijan	Bahamas	Bangladesh
Barbados	Belarus	Belize	Bhutan
Bosnia and Herzegovina	Brazil	Cambodia	Cameroon
Cape Verde	Colombia	Côte d’Ivoire	Cuba
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	Myanmar	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	Yemen

Next steps

• Monitor State Department guidance for implementation details and potential exceptions
• Review pending and planned immigrant visa cases involving consular processing
• Communicate early with affected beneficiaries regarding timing and alternatives