The United States is pausing visa processing for applications from 75 countries including 24 African countries effective January 21, 2026.
The US Department of State says it is undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge.
According to a release, the countries listed are deemed high-risk whose citizens are not “financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans.”
Which African countries are affected?
West Africa leads the chart with nine countries affected by this ban. They include Ghana, Nigeria, The Gambia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Guinea.
East Africa follows with eight countries including Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Eritrea and Ethiopia.
Four North African countries namely Algeria, Libya, Egypt and Morocco have also been affected while Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Republic of the Congo are affected in Central Africa. No country in Southern Africa has been affected by this temporal ban.
What does this mean?
The new directive means immigrant visa applicants who are nationals of affected countries may submit visa applications and attend interviews, but no immigrant visas will be issued to these nationals during this pause.
Individuals with valid immigrant visas from the countries affected however will not have their visas revoked and dual citizens applying with a valid passport of a country that is not listed above are exempt from this pause.
The move however exempts tourist and nonimmigrant visas.
