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‘Hope it resumes soon’: Pakistan reacts after US pauses visa processing
As department of State made the announcement on Wednesday, it said the Trump Administration will always put America first.
As the US on Wednesday paused visa processing for Pakistan , Bangladesh and over 70 other countries, Islamabad hoped that the US would "soon" resume immigrant visa processing for its citizens and said it viewed the recent suspension as part of an internal review. Track updates on Iran unrest
The pause on visa processing is the latest in Trump’s immigration crackdown as the Trump administration said it was pausing the immigrant visa processing for countries whose migrants “take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates”.
What Pakistan said
Pakistan's foreign office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said he hoped the the routine processing of immigrant visas would resume soon.
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"We are in touch with the US authorities to ascertain further details. This is evolving news that we are following," he was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
“We understand that this is an internal ongoing process of review of US immigration policies and system, and hope that the routine processing of immigrant visas will resume soon,” he added.
US pauses visa processing for 75 countries
The Trump administration announced the freeze on Wednesday for 75 countries, including Bangladesh, Pakistan, Iran, Russia and Nepal, Afghanistan, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Sudan, Thailand, and Yemen. See full list of countries facing visa pause here.
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"The freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people," the Trump administration said in a statement shared on X. “The Trump Administration will always put America First,” it said.
The suspension will begin January 21 and will not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas or temporary tourist or business visas.
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The state department said the pause would impact “dozens of countries – including Somalia, Haiti, Iran, and Eritrea – whose immigrants often become public charges on the United States upon arrival.”
