US pauses all immigration applications from 19 countries: Report

New Delhi,UPDATED: Dec 3, 2025 06:29 IST

The United States has halted immigration applications, including green cards and citizenship requests, for people from 19 countries already under a Trump-era travel ban, according to a report in the New York Times. Agency officials told the paper that US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has ordered a full pause while the administration reviews its vetting procedures.

The freeze affects applicants from Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

The move comes days after President Donald Trump vowed to pause all immigration from those countries, citing the shooting of two West Virginia Guard members in Washington, D.C. The alleged gunman, an Afghan man who once worked with the CIA during the US war in Afghanistan, has been charged. One Guard member died, the other remains in critical condition.

USCIS had already suspended all Afghan applications pending an internal review. The latest step broadens that freeze to the full list of nations subjected to Trump’s June ban on seeking new status from USCIS. It means even applicants who have undergone years of background checks and were nearing approval may now face indefinite delays.

Joseph Edlow, director of USCIS, said on X that asylum decisions are also on hold until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. Immigrant-rights advocates say the US already runs one of the world’s most stringent screening systems.

Critics argue the slowdown has been worsening under Trump’s return to the White House, with asylum cases stacking up and visa processing sharply reduced. Secretary of State Marco Rubio added to the clampdown on Tuesday, announcing a pause on issuing visas to anyone traveling on Afghan passports.

Trump has recently escalated his rhetoric on immigration, saying he wants to permanently pause migration from poorer countries and deport millions already living legally in the United States. He has blamed immigrants for crime, housing shortages and what he calls social dysfunction, telling supporters he wants reverse migration.

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