The Trump administration on Tuesday formally paused all immigration applications from 19 countries, following last week’s announcement that asylum seekers and refugee applicants from those nations would be halted.
The list of countries affected includes Afghanistan, Burma, Burundi, Chad, Cuba, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Venezuela, and Yemen.
The list could expand to include 30 countries.
🇺🇸⚠️ U.S. FREEZES IMMIGRATION & NATURALIZATION
— WAR (@warsurveillance) December 3, 2025
The United States has paused all immigration and citizenship processes for 19 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Venezuela, and more.
This freeze affects everyone from these nations even those who have passed their… pic.twitter.com/AAdZEmNki0
The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued a four-page memo on Tuesday, recommending a hold on green card and citizenship applications from those nations as well. All requests for benefits would also be paused “pending a comprehensive review.”
The USCIS also announced halting “all pending asylum applications, regardless of the alien’s country of nationality.”
“USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary,” the memo read, adding “USCIS has considered that this direction may result in delay to the adjudication of some pending applications and has weighed that consequence against the urgent need for the agency to ensure that applicants are vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible."
“Ultimately, USCIS has determined that the burden of processing delays that will fall on some applicants is necessary and appropriate in this instance, when weighed against the agency’s obligation to protect and preserve national security," the memo continued.
Front and center to USCIS's memo was the horrific shooting of two West Virginia National Guardsmen last week by an Afghan national. He had previously worked with the CIA and the U.S. Military in anti-terror operations in his home country.