Trump Names 19 Countries Where US Visas Are Restricted, Even for Green Card Applicants

 The administration of US President Donald Trump has taken steps to severely restrict the legal immigration process, targeting individuals from 19 specific countries. Through this new directive, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has immediately suspended the processing of visa, Green Card (Green Card), and citizenship applications for citizens of these countries. This ban affects even applicants in the final stages of the immigration process, leaving the hopes of many who were close to approval in an uncertain state.

Many in the field of immigration law describe this action as "slamming the brakes" on the legal immigration process. Until new security provisions and background check rules are announced, officials are not permitted to approve or reject any applications. Furthermore, citizenship oath ceremonies have also been halted under this directive, and the Trump administration has ordered that files of Green Card holders from these countries who have already received approval be subjected to a full-scale, rigorous re-examination. This also raises the risk of already approved visas being revoked.

This decision primarily impacts citizens of 19 non-European countries, often those with Muslim majorities or classified as high-risk states. Their family-based or employment-based immigration applications will face indefinite delays. Immigration rights groups point out that this additional "security screening" process will cause delays in USCIS operations, leading to longer wait times in visa queues for applicants from all other countries as well.

The "19 countries of concern" subject to this immigration suspension and re-examination process have been named as Afghanistan, Myanmar (Burma), Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Consequently, nationals of these countries will face significant obstacles in obtaining Green Cards and other immigration benefits.