The administration of Donald Trump is set to temporarily suspend visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, a spokesperson for the US State Department confirmed on Wednesday.
The spokesperson declined to provide further details regarding the scope or duration of the measure, which was initially reported by Fox News citing an internal State Department memorandum.
According to the report, the suspension is scheduled to take effect on January 21. Countries expected to be impacted include Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Nigeria and Thailand, among others.
The internal directive instructs US embassies and consulates to deny visa applications under existing legal authorities while the department conducts a comprehensive review of its screening and vetting procedures. No timeline has been announced for the completion of the review.
The move comes as part of a broader immigration crackdown pursued by the Trump administration since returning to office last year.
In November, President Trump had publicly pledged to halt migration from what he described as “Third World countries,” following a shooting near the White House involving an Afghan national that resulted in the death of a National Guard member.
The full list of countries comprises of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, 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.