US suspends visa processing for 75 countries: Which nations are affected? Is India on the list?

The United States has decided to pause all visa processing for visitors from 75 countries starting January 21, Fox News reported on Wednesday citing a document from the US State Department. The US administration, led by President Donald Trump, has directed consular officers to deny visa applications until the screening and vetting processes are reevaluated. No specific timeline was given in the report. The move effectively shuts the entry door to the US for over a third of the nearly 200 countries around the world.

List of nations

The countries hit by the decision are: 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, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, 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, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

Trump's immigration crackdown

The visa suspension comes amid Trump's harsh immigration crackdown, launched after he began his second presidential term last January. In November, the US leader had vowed to "permanently pause" immigration from all "third world countries" after a shooting carried out by an Afghan national near the White House that resulted in the death of a National Guard member. The US administration last year also mandated that officers examine applicants’ social media accounts. In a statement on Wednesday, US State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said his office "will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the US and exploit the generosity of the American people."