US immigrant visa appointments will continue despite visa pause

by Linda Straker

• US pausing immigrant visa issuances to applicants of 75 countries including Grenada
• Pause applies only to immigrant visa applicants. Tourist visas are non-immigrant visas
• Immigrant visa pause is 3rd recent event to occur affecting Grenada

People from countries that will be affected by the United States halt to immigrant visa processing from 21 January 2026 will still be able to conduct their interviews at their assigned US Embassy. “Immigrant visa applicants who are nationals of affected countries may submit visa applications and attend interviews, and the department will continue to schedule applicants for appointments, but no immigrant visa will be issued to these nationals during this pause,” said the US State Department’s website.

The website further explained that “Dual nationals applying with a valid passport of a country that is not listed are exempt from this pause,” and that no immigrant visas have been revoked as part of the pause. For people applying for tourist visas, the website states that the 21 January pause applies only to immigrant visa applicants. “Tourist visas are non-immigrant visas,” the website explained.

President Trump, the website said, “has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans.” The website said this has resulted in the State Department “undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilise welfare in the United States or become a public charge.”

Effective 21 January 2026, the US State Department is pausing all visa issuances to immigrant visa applicants of 75 countries who, under the World Bank classification, are low-income, middle-income or upper-middle-income countries. Grenada is one of several in the Caribbean region named in the list, but the Government of Grenada has yet to issue any public statement about this latest development. The pause on immigrant visas is the 3rd event to occur in the first 14 days of 2026. The first was a ban on fish and fish products as of 1 January, followed by a Level 2 travel advisory, which occurred on 5 January.

According to the website, the countries affected by the immigrant visa pause are:

1. Afghanistan
2. Albania
3. Algeria
4. Antigua and Barbuda
5. Armenia
6. Azerbaijan
7. Bahamas
8. Bangladesh
9. Barbados
10. Belarus
11. Belize
12. Bhutan
13. Bosnia and Herzegovina
14. Brazil
15. Burma
16. Cambodia
17. Cameroon
18. Cape Verde
19. Colombia
20. Cote d’Ivoire
21. Cuba
22. Democratic Republic of the Congo
23. Dominica
24. Egypt
25. Eritrea
26. Ethiopia
27. Fiji
28. The Gambia
29. Georgia
30. Ghana
31. Grenada
32. Guatemala
33. Guinea
34. Haiti
35. Iran
36. Iraq
37. Jamaica
38. Jordan
39. Kazakhstan
40. Kosovo
41. Kuwait
42. Kyrgyz Republic
43. Laos
44. Lebanon
45. Liberia
46. Libya
47. Moldova
48. Mongolia
49. Montenegro
50. Morocco
51. Nepal
52. Nicaragua
53. Nigeria
54. North Macedonia
55. Pakistan
56. Republic of the Congo
57. Russia
58. Rwanda
59. Saint Kitts and Nevis
60. Saint Lucia
61. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
62. Senegal
63. Sierra Leone
64. Somalia
65. South Sudan
66. Sudan
67. Syria
68. Tanzania
69. Thailand
70. Togo
71. Tunisia
72. Uganda
73. Uruguay
74. Uzbekistan
75. Yemen