United States · State Department immigrant visas
State Department says 75-country immigrant-visa issuance pause is no longer in effect
The State Department says the January 2026 pause on issuing immigrant visas to nationals of 75 countries is no longer in effect following the court order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al. The change concerns consular immigrant-visa cases, not tourist visas or adjustment of status applications handled inside the United States by USCIS.
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Reported and checked by the QueueCheck news desk. Last checked August 28, 2026. How we verify information
U.S. immigrant visa and consular green-card processing: the answer before you compare dates
The Department of State says that, as of August 21, 2026, its January pause on issuing immigrant visas to nationals of 75 listed countries is no longer in effect. Before the change, affected applicants could submit an immigrant-visa application, attend an interview and be scheduled, but the Department had paused issuance. The State Department's August 28 update says the pause is no longer in effect because of the court's order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al. That removes this particular country-list issuance block from consular immigrant-visa processing. It does not guarantee that any case will be issued immediately or approved. Officers can still apply ordinary visa eligibility rules and any individual case requirements. The full official country list is included below so a reader can check the scope without relying on a separate summary.
Green Card readers affected by this United States update
People pursuing a family-based or employment-based immigrant visa through a U.S. embassy or consulate who are nationals of one of the 75 countries in the January policy, as well as their U.S. petitioners, employers and close family members. The full official list is: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote 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, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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. The State Department says this particular pause is no longer in effect as of August 21, 2026. India and Kenya were not on the list.
The Green Card change behind this page
- The State Department updated its public notice on August 28, 2026. It says: "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."
- The January policy took effect on January 21, 2026. The State Department said it paused all immigrant-visa issuances for applicants who were nationals of the 75 listed countries.
- During the pause, the Department said affected applicants could still submit applications, attend interviews and be scheduled for visa interviews. The stated block was on issuance.
- The August update ends that pause. The Department also says it is reviewing screening and vetting policies related to public-benefits reliance.
- The Department says the notice never applied to tourist visas. Tourist visas are nonimmigrant visas and were not affected by this particular pause.
- The Department says it did not revoke valid immigrant visas as part of the January guidance. Questions about admission at a U.S. port of entry remain within DHS jurisdiction.
U.S. Department of State: Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of U.S. Public Benefits Reliance details to separate first
The State Department describes the former measure as a pause of immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries, effective January 21, 2026.
The official list names 75 countries. Pakistan is included. India and Kenya are not included in that list.
The Department's August 28 public page gives August 21, 2026 as the date from which the pause is no longer in effect.
The official notice refers to the court order in CLINIC et al. v. Rubio et al. It does not say that every applicant will receive a visa or give a universal timetable for issuance.
The Department says the January policy did not revoke immigrant visas that were already valid.
The Department separately states that tourist visas were not affected because they are nonimmigrant visas.
State Department notice on the 75-country immigrant-visa issuance pause
State Department notice and U.S. Visas News index checked August 29, 2026
The State Department's August 28 update states that the January pause of immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 countries is no longer in effect as of August 21, 2026. This snapshot separates that policy from visa-number availability, USCIS adjustment of status and other restrictions.
Former policy start
Jan. 21, 2026
The effective date stated in the State Department notice for the former issuance pause.
Change stated by State Department
No longer in effect
The official notice says this is so as of Aug. 21, 2026, in accordance with the court order.
Countries in the former list
75
The public notice lists the countries covered by the January pause.
Visa type covered by this pause
Immigrant visas
The Department says tourist visas, which are nonimmigrant visas, were not affected.
| Question | Former position | Current published position |
|---|---|---|
| Can an affected person submit an application or attend an interview? | Yes. The Department said affected applicants could apply, attend interviews and be scheduled. | The August update does not say this changed. |
| Could an immigrant visa be issued under the January pause? | The Department had paused issuance to nationals of the 75 listed countries. | The Department says that pause is no longer in effect as of August 21, 2026. |
| Does this notice cover tourist visas? | No. | No. The State Department says tourist visas were not affected by this particular pause. |
| Does this notice govern USCIS adjustment of status? | No. | No. The notice concerns State Department immigrant-visa issuance through consular processing. |
| Where can I check whether my country was in the former pause? | The full official 75-country list is set out in the affected-readers section above. | For nationals of every country on that former list, the State Department says this particular issuance pause is no longer in effect as of August 21, 2026. |
Priority-date details people often miss
- The State Department posted the current update on August 28, 2026.
- The cited court-effective date is August 21, 2026.
- The change removes one issuance pause, not the normal individual review of a visa case.
Official immigration material summarized
- State Department public notice: Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of U.S. Public Benefits Reliance
- State Department U.S. Visas News index
Separate visa availability from USCIS processing
- The State Department says it continues to review screening and vetting policies.
- The separate State Department page on other security-related visa restrictions has a different scope and must be checked independently.
- The official notice and any later update control.
U.S. immigrant visa and consular green-card processing timing questions, answered
I interviewed while the 75-country pause was in effect. Does this mean my visa is approved now?
No. The State Department says the issuance pause is no longer in effect, but that does not itself approve a case. A consular officer can still need to complete ordinary eligibility review or other case-specific processing.
Can I now ask the embassy to issue my immigrant visa immediately?
The notice does not create a universal immediate-issuance deadline or a special request process. Follow the official communication for your case and any document, medical or passport instruction it contains.
Does this help an I-485 adjustment-of-status application with USCIS?
Not directly. This is a State Department consular immigrant-visa issuance update. An I-485 is handled by USCIS inside the United States and remains subject to its own process and, where relevant, its filing-chart rules.
Does the end of the pause mean a Visa Bulletin priority date no longer matters?
No. The Visa Bulletin answers whether a numerically limited immigrant visa is available. This update ends the separate January issuance pause described by the State Department.
Are tourist visa applicants included?
No. The State Department says the January pause specifically concerned immigrant visa applicants. Tourist visas are nonimmigrant visas and were not affected by that pause.
How this changes the next Green Card step
A consular immigrant-visa case that was stalled only because of the January country-list issuance pause is no longer subject to that pause.
The update is especially relevant to family- and employment-based immigrant-visa applicants who had already completed substantial steps in the consular process, including an interview.
The end of the pause does not make every visa immediately issuable. A case can still require normal eligibility review, a valid medical examination, documents, administrative processing or visa-number availability where the category is numerically limited.
The end of this policy is not the same as a change to USCIS adjustment of status. Adjustment of status is an inside-the-United-States process; this State Department notice addresses immigrant visas issued through consular processing.
The update also does not erase separate State Department restrictions. Readers should not treat it as a statement that every visa category, every country-specific restriction or every travel rule has changed.
For preference categories, the Visa Bulletin still matters. Removing an issuance pause does not make an immigrant visa available when the category is not current or when a final-action date has not been reached.
Checks to make before changing your plan
- Read the State Department's current notice and keep using the case-specific instructions from the National Visa Center or the embassy or consulate handling your case.
- If an interview, document submission, medical examination or passport request is already pending, follow the instruction and deadline in that individual notice. Do not assume the policy change cancels a case-specific requirement.
- If your case was placed on hold under the January 75-country pause, check the communication channels used for your case for the next official instruction. The published change removes the pause; it does not create a new self-service request or a guaranteed issuance date.
- Check the Visa Bulletin if your immigrant category has a priority date. Country-list pause rules and visa-number availability are different questions.
- Do not rely on this update for an adjustment-of-status case filed with USCIS inside the United States. Use the USCIS notice, account and applicable filing charts for that process.
- Get qualified immigration advice before making a case-specific decision, especially if a visa was refused for another reason, a passport has expired, a medical examination is near expiry or travel is urgent.
Read by category, country, and filing stage
An immigrant visa is normally issued abroad by the State Department after consular processing. It can lead to permanent-resident status when the holder is admitted to the United States.
Adjustment of status is different: it is the route some eligible people use to seek a green card from inside the United States through USCIS. This notice does not change that USCIS process.
A pause on issuance is narrower than a universal stop on filing or interviews. The Department's January notice said affected people could continue applying and attending interviews even while issuance was paused.
The Department's current notice says the January pause is no longer in effect, while also noting that it is reviewing screening and vetting policies. A review is not, by itself, a new published country-list pause.
This story concerns the public-benefits-related 75-country issuance pause. The Department maintains separate pages for other visa and entry restrictions, which have their own scope and exceptions.
What this cannot decide for an individual case
- This article reports the State Department's August 28, 2026 public update. The official notice, any individual instruction and later court or agency action control.
- The article does not decide whether a person is included in a particular policy, eligible for an immigrant visa, documentarily qualified or admissible to the United States.
- The official update says the former pause is no longer in effect. It does not publish a universal queue position, processing-time estimate or date by which all held cases will be issued.
- A visa refusal based on an independent legal ground is outside the narrow question answered by this update.
- Travel, entry and immigration consequences can depend on facts not covered in a news record. Seek qualified advice for a time-sensitive individual situation.
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Official citation
Published August 28, 2026. Original source: U.S. Department of State: Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of U.S. Public Benefits Reliance.