Fiji has been named among 75 countries affected by a new move by the United States Department of State to indefinitely halt the processing of immigrant visa applications, marking another escalation of immigration restrictions under Donald Trump.
The State Department announced the decision on X on Wednesday, framing it as part of efforts to prevent migrants who may require public assistance from entering the United States.
The department said the pause would remain in place until safeguards are in place to ensure new immigrants “will not extract wealth from the American people.”
In a series of posts, the department said the freeze impacts dozens of countries whose migrants allegedly become public charges after arrival in the U.S.
While officials did not initially release the full list of affected nations, a memo first obtained by Fox News reportedly identified all 75 countries.
Alongside Fiji, the list includes Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
The inclusion of Fiji is expected to raise concerns locally, particularly for families with pending immigrant visa applications and those seeking long-term migration pathways to the United States.
The State Department has not indicated when or if the processing pause will be lifted, saying only that it will remain until further notice.
