SOURCE FOX NEWS: The United States will pause immigrant visa processing for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda and several other Caribbean countries beginning Jan. 21, as part of a broader review affecting 75 countries worldwide, according to a State Department memo seen by FOX News.
The pause, which will remain in place indefinitely, is tied to the U.S. government’s enforcement of long-standing “public charge” provisions of immigration law, which allow consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public assistance.
Caribbean countries affected by the pause include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Other countries on the list span Africa, Europe, Asia, and Latin America, including Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belarus, Bosnia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
According to the memo, consular officers have been instructed to refuse immigrant visas under existing law while the U.S. State Department reassesses screening and vetting procedures for applicants from the affected countries.
The review centers on the “public charge” standard, which requires officers to weigh factors such as age, health, English proficiency, financial resources, employment prospects, and the potential need for long-term medical care. Applicants with a history of reliance on government cash assistance or institutional care may also face denial.
“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States,” spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement, adding that visa processing from the affected countries will remain paused during the reassessment.
The public charge provision has existed for decades, but its enforcement has varied across U.S. administrations. While a narrower version of the rule was applied under the Biden administration, earlier expansions under President Donald Trump broadened the range of benefits considered, prompting legal challenges and policy reversals.
Exceptions to the current pause are expected to be limited and will only be granted after applicants clear public-charge considerations.