The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday that it will “pause” immigrant visa processing from 75 countries, including Iran and Somalia, “whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”
“The pause impacts dozens of countries—including Somalia, Haiti, Iran and Eritrea—whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival,” it stated. “We are working to ensure the generosity of the American people will no longer be abused.”
A State Department spokesman referred JNS to the department’s post on social media. The change goes into place on Jan. 21, Fox News reported. (The White House shared the Fox News article on social media.)
The channel published a full list of the countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, 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 and Yemen.
“I am so curious to understand how Kuwait, an oil-rich country where the average citizen income exceeds $60k a year, ended up on this list,” wrote Vivian Nereim, the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based New York Times gulf bureau chief.
