Pause on immigrant visas until vetting meets ‘maximum degree’ of eligibility, says US mission in Pakistan

The US government has said that it decided to pause immigrant visa processing until it ensures new applicants are “vetted to the maximum degree to ensure their eligibility”, according to a Friday statement shared by the US Embassy in Islamabad on the X platform.

On Wednesday, the US announced a suspension of immigrant visa processing for Pakistan, along with 74 other countries, effective from January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes.

“The Trump Administration is focused on protecting the American people by upholding the highest standards of screening and vetting of visa applicants,” the statement said.

“Effective January 21,” the statement added, “the Department of State is pausing issuance to all immigrant visa applicants from selected countries, including Pakistan.”

The statement said that US State Secretary Marco Rubio had instituted this pause until his government could “ensure that new immigrants have been vetted to the maximum degree to ensure their eligibility for a US visa”, including that they would “not use public assistance”.

However, the statement clarified that the action would apply to the issuance of immigrant visas “only”.

“It does not apply to non-immigrant visas, such as those for tourists, students, athletes, skilled workers, and their families,” the statement added.

Earlier, the State Department had said, “The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”

Pakistan was among more than 75 countries whose nationals will be affected under the new measure, which the State Department said is part of a comprehensive review ordered by President Donald Trump to ensure that immigrants are “financially self-sufficient and not a financial burden to Americans.”

“President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient,” the department said, adding that all policies, regulations and guidance are being reviewed to prevent immigrants from becoming a public charge.