STATE DEPARTMENT PAUSES ALL VISA ISSUANCES TO IMMIGRANTS FROM 75 COUNTRIES
February 13, 2026
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On January 14, 2026, the U.S. Department of State announced that all visas being issued to applicants who are nationals of seventy-five (75) specific countries will be paused effective January 21, 2026. A complete list of those 75 countries is available here. During this indefinite pause, no immigrant visas will be issued to nationals of the 75 affected countries, yet the State Department will continue accepting applications and scheduling interviews for nationals applying from those 75 countries. Since the State Department’s pause specifically applies to immigrant visa applicants, it does not apply to nonimmigrant visas such as H-1B, L-1, O-1, or E visas.
This Aviation Blog post is intended to keep readers current on developments in the law. It is not intended to be legal advice. If you have any questions, please contact Evelyn Sahr at 202.659.6622 or esahr@eckertseamans.com; Drew Derco at 202.659.6665 or dderco@eckertseamans.com; Tyler Myers at 202.659.6642 or trmyers@eckertseamans.com, or any other attorney at Eckert Seamans with whom you have been working.
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