The United States Department of State has suspended the issuance of immigrant visas for citizens of Bangladesh and 74 other countries, effective from 21 January this year.
The US Embassy in Dhaka shared the information in a Facebook post today (2 March), which states that the decision applies to countries whose immigrants to the United States have comparatively higher rates of receiving government assistance.
However, the suspension does not apply to visitor visas. This means short-term travel visas will continue to be issued as before.
The embassy also said citizens of the affected countries will still be able to submit immigrant visa applications and attend scheduled interviews. The Department of State will continue to schedule interviews.
According to a notice from the US State Department, President Donald Trump has made it clear that immigrants must be financially self-reliant and should not become a burden on American taxpayers. As a result, screening and vetting policies for nationals of high-risk countries are being reviewed.
Countries whose citizens are subject to the suspension of immigrant visas from 21 January 2026 include Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belarus, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Myanmar, Cambodia, Colombia, Cuba, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Tanzania, among several dozen others.
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