The United States has lifted a suspension imposed in January on issuing immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries, including Bangladesh, after a federal court ruling prompted the Trump administration to reverse course.
The U.S. State Department said the suspension, which had been in effect since Jan. 21, is no longer in force as of Aug. 21, 2026. Besides Bangladesh, the suspension also covered immigrant visa applications from citizens of Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan.
The State Department said the suspension had been imposed while the government reviewed its immigrant visa vetting policies, with the aim of ensuring that immigrants could remain financially self-sufficient and not become financially dependent on the U.S. government or improperly access public welfare benefits.
During the suspension, applicants from the affected countries were still able to submit visa applications and attend interviews.
With the suspension no longer in effect, applicants can now apply for immigrant visas under the standard rules and proceed through the process accordingly.
Countries that had been on the suspension list included Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Myanmar, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ivory Coast, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, the Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos and Lebanon.
Also on the list were Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, the Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
On Aug. 21, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in Manhattan, struck down the Trump administration’s policy of suspending immigrant visas for the 75 countries. In her ruling, Judge Janet Vargas said the policy the State Department had announced in January for handling immigrant visa applications was “clearly unlawful” and violated central immigration law.
The ruling also said existing law clearly limits the secretary of state’s authority over consular officers in the immigrant visa application process, and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had exceeded his legal authority in adopting the policy.
Under standard procedure, the decision on whether to grant a visa after reviewing an application is made by the relevant visa officers at U.S. embassies and consulates.
Judge Vargas, appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden, wrote in her ruling: “This policy of blanket denial of immigrant visas based on an applicant’s nationality is a direct violation of the established legal framework.”
In defending the suspension, the State Department had argued that citizens of the 75 countries posed a higher risk of becoming dependent on government assistance after arriving in the United States, including a greater likelihood of relying on various local, state and federal benefits.