The Trump administration has announced a temporary suspension of immigration visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, including Morocco. The decision, revealed Wednesday by a State Department spokesperson, is part of a broader effort to tighten U.S. immigration policy, targeting even legal immigration pathways.
The suspension is set to take effect on January 21 and will impact countries across Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and a significant portion of Africa. Alongside Morocco, the list includes Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, and others in the Arab and African regions.
According to the U.S. government, the move aims to prevent the entry of immigrants deemed likely to become financially dependent on public assistance. “The State Department will exercise its authority to exclude applicants who are expected to become a burden on American taxpayers,” said Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
All processing of immigration visa applications from the affected countries will be paused while U.S. authorities reassess eligibility criteria and tighten selection procedures. The stated goal is to limit immigration to those who can demonstrate financial self-sufficiency. Tourist visas, however, remain unaffected—particularly in light of the international events the U.S. is set to host in the coming years.
This decision is based on a November directive that instructed American diplomats to apply stricter scrutiny to the financial backgrounds of visa applicants. Since returning to office, President Donald Trump has systematically rolled out new restrictions—not just against undocumented immigration, but also targeting legal immigration routes.
The latest measure represents an escalation of that strategy, which has been widely criticized by human rights groups and immigration advocates. David Bier of the Cato Institute warns that the suspension could block entry for up to 315,000 legal immigrants in just one year.
Since Trump’s return to the White House, more than 100,000 immigration visas have already been canceled. At the same time, Washington has expanded background checks and increased surveillance of applicants’ social media activity as part of a broader effort to enforce stricter security controls.
This latest move comes just weeks after a controversial statement from President Trump, in which he pledged to permanently ban immigration from what he described as “Third World countries,” following a shooting incident near the White House.
In addition to Morocco, the full list of countries affected includes Senegal, Nigeria, Iran, Pakistan, Lebanon, Iraq, Bangladesh, and Russia, among others.
