US Court Overturns Trump Visa Restrictions On 75 Countries [FULL LIST]

informantonline.com.ng

August 23, 2026
4 min read

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A federal district court situated in Manhattan has invalidated a policy implemented by the Donald Trump administration that suspended immigrant visa processing and issuance for individuals hailing from 75 nations, which includes Nigeria.

In a decision handed down on Friday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas ruled that the State Department directive issued in January was unlawful because it went beyond the legal authority granted to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

The measure, which went into effect on January 21, stopped immigrant visa issuances to citizens of 75 countries on the premise that they carried a heightened likelihood of turning into public charges by depending on financial aid from the U.S. government.

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The impacted nations comprise Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cuba, Dominica, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.

Earlier in the year, President Donald Trump published statistics regarding welfare dependency levels among immigrant households, indicating that roughly 33.3 percent of Nigerian immigrant homes utilized some form of public support.

Under the guidelines, visa requests could also face rejection for older applicants, overweight individuals, or anyone possessing a background of depending on government cash aid or institutional care.

During the ruling delivery, Judge Vargas, named to the bench by former President Joe Biden, concluded that the suspension clashed with immigration statutes, which vest consular processing control outside the powers of the Secretary of State.

The policy, which categorically prohibits the issuance of immigrant visas based upon the nationality of the applicant, represents a direct abrogation of this statutory scheme, she wrote.

Immigrant advocacy groups, specifically the Catholic Legal Immigration Network and African Communities Together, brought the legal challenge alongside American citizens sponsoring family members and visa seekers originating from the impacted countries.

Court documents revealed that the State Department transmitted a cable to U.S. diplomatic missions in January instructing consular personnel to deny applicants whose visas received print authorization but remained unprinted.

The department explained that the pause constituted part of a broader evaluation designed to enhance vetting protocols and stop foreign nationals from utilizing American welfare programs.

Applicants from these countries are at a high risk for becoming a public charge and recourse to local, state and federal government resources in the United States, the cable stated.

Defending the policy at the time, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that the State Department would utilize its long-standing authority to classify potential immigrants as ineligible if they would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people, adding that migration from those nations would pause while processes are re-evaluated.

Ever since returning to office in January, President Trump has driven an extensive immigration overhaul, maintaining that the steps aim to reinforce internal security and tighten enforcement.

Below are the 75 countries: