The United States has announced the suspension of immigrant visa processing for 75 countries, a move that disproportionately affects Africa and signals a major escalation in President Donald Trump’s renewed hardline immigration agenda.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the US Department of State said the freeze would apply to countries “whose migrants take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates”.
The suspension, which takes effect on January 21, will remain in place until Washington is satisfied that new immigrants will not “extract wealth” from the US economy.
Although a full list of affected countries has not been officially released, African nations are expected to be among the hardest hit.
Somalia and Eritrea were specifically named, while reports citing US officials indicate that Nigeria and Egypt — two of Africa’s most populous countries — are also included.
Analysts say that across the continent, thousands of families hoping to reunite with relatives in the US now face prolonged uncertainty.
Immigration experts estimate that nearly 70 percent of the countries targeted by the latest visa freeze are in Africa. If confirmed, the decision would further restrict legal migration pathways for Africans at a time when opportunities for work, education and family reunification abroad are already shrinking.
Trump, who returned to office in January 2025, has made immigration enforcement a central pillar of his administration.
He has pledged to oversee the largest deportation drive in US history and has already rolled back several visa programmes while sharply reducing refugee admissions.
According to US authorities, more than 100,000 visas have been revoked since his return to the White House, and over 600,000 people have been deported, with millions more leaving voluntarily.
The visa freeze does not apply to non-immigrant visas such as tourist or short-term business travel. However, critics argue that blocking immigrant visas — which include family-based and employment-based categories — strikes at the heart of legal migration.
David Bier of the Cato Institute described the policy as the most aggressive attack on legal immigration in modern US history, warning it could block more than 300,000 lawful immigrants in a single year.
Aaron Reichlin-Melnick of the American Immigration Council said the measure, combined with earlier travel bans, effectively places immigration restrictions on 90 countries worldwide — most of them African.
For African governments and citizens alike, the policy raises fresh questions about fairness, global mobility and the future of Africa–US relations under Trump’s second term.