Signing you in

The US government introduced a pause in immigrant visa appointments for nationals of 75 countries in January this year, intending to have officers evaluate applicants so that they do not become a “public charge” while focusing on determining which applicants are more likely to become dependent on public benefits in the United States.

The US State Department had directed consular officers to reject visas as per the existing laws while the department carried out the screening and vetting procedures.

Trump administration, in a statement in January, had said, “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 US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”

However, the policy ended on August 21 after US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan said the measure announced by the State Department was “patently unlawful” and violated federal immigration law. The case was filed by immigrant rights groups Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLIN) and African Communities Together against Rubio.

Providing an update on its official website, the State Department wrote, “As of August 21, 2026, in accordance with the Court’s order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al., the January 2026 pause of immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries is no longer in effect.”

Here’s the list of 75 countries that were affected by the suspension of US visa appointments:

President Trump has followed his aggressive immigration crackdown, which, according to him, is focused on improving domestic security. The Republican leader has explicitly said that immigrants “must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans.”

In November last year, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries” after a shooting took place near the White House by an Afghan national that killed a National Guard personnel.

India was not among the 75 countries covered by the January immigrant-visa issuance pause. Therefore, the court ruling does not directly change the position of Indian nationals under that policy.

However, Indian applicants seeking immigrant visas are affected by a separate development. The State Department has temporarily paused or adjusted immigrant-visa appointments at US embassies and consulates worldwide while it conducts a global training programme for consular officers.