The Department of State (DOS) explained the immigration processing pause effecting over seventy countries doesn’t include the People’s Republic of China. The move comes after erroneous alerts appeared on the Travel Document website. Subsequently, the alert caused confusion among immigration visa applicants and government officials.
Misidentification
According to the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), multiple immigration practitioners reported that the Travel Docs website for China displayed an alert. Said alert claimed China is part of the immigration visa processing pause. This is not true. Both AILA and the DOS confirmed such was the case.
Affected Countries
Immigration visas are paused until further notice for the following countries:
- Cuba.
- Jamaica.
- Haiti.
- Guatemala.
- Belize.
- Nicaragua.
- Colombia.
- Brazil.
- Uruguay.
- Morocco.
- Algeria.
- Tunisia.
- Libya.
- Egypt.
- Sudan.
- South Sudan.
- Eritrea.
- Ethiopia.
- Somalia.
- Tanzania.
- Uganda.
- Rwanda.
- Democratic Republic of Congo.
- Republic of Congo.
- Cameroon.
- Nigeria.
- Togo.
- Ghana.
- Ivory Coast.
- Liberia.
- Guinea.
- Sierra Leone.
- Gambia.
- Senegal.
- Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- Montenegro.
- Albania.
- North Macedonia.
- Moldova.
- Belarus.
- Russia.
- Georgia.
- Armenia.
- Azerbaijan.
- Jordan.
- Syria.
- Lebanon.
- Iraq.
- Kuwait.
- Iran.
- Yemen.
- Afghanistan.
- Pakistan.
- Uzbekistan.
- Tajikistan.
- Kazakhstan.
- Nepal.
- Bhutan.
- Bangladesh.
- Myanmar.
- Laos.
- Cambodia.
- Thailand.
Pausing immigration visas is the latest in a series of efforts restricting documented immigration to the U.S. The government expanded the number of countries subject to partial or complete entry bans to thirty-nine in December, 2025. Additionally, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) proposed stricter criteria regarding who’s admissible to the U.S. as a public charge in November, 2025. Finally, this pause doesn’t apply to nationals being adopted by U.S. citizens.
As always, Immigration USA actively monitors ongoing U.S. immigration news. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Working with an experienced attorney ensures you get the right advice based on the most recent laws. In an ever-evolving immigration policy landscape, we’re with you every step of the way.