From today, January 21, two major changes to US visa rules are coming into effect as the Donald Trump administration rejigs immigration rules to uphold 'America First'. These new rules, including a pause on Green cards and a revision of the visa bond program, were announced earlier this month.
Pause on immigration visas for 75 countries
From today, the US Department of State pauses the processing of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries. This is not applicable to student visa, travel visa or H-1B visa, and is strictly limited to immigration visas, as in applications looking for residency in the US. This impacts the Green Card applications from 75 countries and this will be revoked only after the department assesses how much welfare benefits they take.
List of affected countries: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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.
Visa bond revision
The US issued a revision of its bond list in the first week of January, updating the list of countries that should pay for entering the US. For business or tourist visas, these nationals should post a refundable bond ($5,000–$15,000). This money will be refunded if they depart on time.
List of 25 countries: Algeria, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Cuba, Djibouti, Dominica, Fiji, Gabon, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Togo, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zimbabwe.
The list of countries that have to pay a bond is longer as the US added countries to the list on different dates. For example, Bhutan, Botswana, Central African Republic, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Namibia, Turkmenistan were added to the list on January 1. Malwai, Zambia, The Gambia, Mauritania, São Tomé and Principe, Tanzania were on the list in 2025.