U.S. halts visas from 75 countries, expands 'public charge' denials
The State Department has ordered an indefinite pause on visa processing for applicants from 75 countries — including Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen — starting Jan. 21 while it rewrites how consular officers apply the 'public charge' test, according to a memo first obtained by Fox News. During the pause, officers are directed to refuse visas under existing law to anyone deemed likely to rely on public benefits, using a significantly broadened set of factors that now includes age, health, English proficiency, finances, potential long‑term medical needs and any past use of cash assistance or institutional care; older or overweight applicants and those who ever received certain government aid could be denied. The move resurrects and hardens a Trump‑era expansion of the public‑charge rule that the Biden administration had rolled back in 2022, and comes as the Trump administration openly links Somali migration scrutiny to large Minnesota‑based fraud cases like Feeding Our Future, despite those prosecutions already moving forward in court. For Twin Cities families, especially in Minneapolis and St. Paul’s Somali, Iranian, Russian and Nigerian communities that routinely sponsor relatives and business visitors, this effectively slams the door on most new visas from those countries and signals a far more aggressive posture by consular officers that goes well beyond traditional bars on destitute applicants. Immigration lawyers are already warning that the vague standards invite arbitrary denials and could strand even well‑resourced applicants, and advocacy groups with large Minnesota footprints are expected to challenge the policy in court.
📌 Key Facts
- The State Department will pause all visa processing for 75 countries, including Somalia, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand and Yemen, beginning Jan. 21 with no set end date.
- A leaked State Department memo instructs consular officers to use an expanded 'public charge' analysis to deny visas, weighing health, age, English proficiency, finances, potential long‑term medical care needs and any prior use of cash assistance or institutionalization.
- The crackdown explicitly cites concern about immigrants who might use U.S. welfare programs and follows Minnesota‑based fraud scandals involving Somali‑linked nonprofits, even though those cases are already being prosecuted under existing law.
- The Trump administration had previously broadened public‑charge rules in 2019, but those changes were partly blocked in court and rescinded by the Biden administration; this move effectively restores and toughens that framework.
- State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott says exceptions to the pause will be 'very limited' and available only to applicants who clear public‑charge concerns, meaning routine family, student and business visas from the 75 countries will be severely restricted.
📊 Relevant Data
The Feeding Our Future fraud scheme in Minnesota involved the theft of more than $250 million in federal child nutrition funds, making it the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation, with over 50 people convicted, many of whom are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
U.S. Attorney Announces Federal Charges Against 47 Defendants in $250 Million Feeding Our Future Fraud Scheme — U.S. Department of Justice
Approximately 81% of Somali-headed households in Minnesota use one or more forms of welfare, including 54% on food stamps, 73% on Medicaid, and 27% on cash welfare, based on data from 2014 to 2023.
Report: Nearly 90% of Somali homes with children in Minnesota on welfare — Alpha News
36% of the Somali population in Minnesota lives below the poverty level, though younger generations are making progress.
Somalis began resettling in Minnesota in the 1990s as refugees fleeing civil war, with the state becoming a hub due to refugee resettlement programs and organizations like the Immigrant and International Migration help.
Looking Back at Minnesota's Refugee History — Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
Immigrant households from Somalia have a welfare participation rate of 71.9% in the US, according to data shared in 2026.
Trump Shares Data on Immigrant Welfare Rates by Country — Punch Newspapers
Visa refusals on public charge grounds increased from 1,076 in FY 2016 to 20,941 in FY 2019 under expanded rules.
NFAP Policy Brief: State Department Immigrant and Temporary Visa Declines and Refusals in FY 2019 — National Foundation for American Policy
The population-weighted average welfare participation rate across all immigrant groups in the US is 21.0%, with a median rate of 18.4% across countries.
Immigrant Welfare Participation by the Numbers — PoliMetrics
In Minnesota, the Feeding Our Future fraud was enabled by pandemic-era social service billing vulnerabilities, primarily involving Somali immigrants, due to misreading of poverty levels leading to lax oversight.
How Misreading Somali Poverty Led Minnesota into Its Largest Welfare Scandal — American Enterprise Institute
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