The Trump administration has halted the processing of immigration applications submitted by individuals from 19 countries, in what officials describe as an expanded effort to tighten vetting procedures and limit legal immigration. The directive, first reported through internal guidance from US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), orders staff to place an “adjudicative hold” on all pending cases involving applicants from the listed nations.
Based on the guidance, USCIS officers were instructed to suspend issuing final decisions for applicants originating from countries named in a presidential proclamation signed by Donald Trump in June — part of the broader set of restrictions commonly referred to as the “travel ban”.
Administration officials say the freeze is necessary because the US can no longer reliably confirm the identities or backgrounds of applicants from the affected nations. The reassessment of immigration vetting procedures followed a high-profile shooting in Washington, D.C., allegedly involving an Afghan national who had entered through humanitarian pathways.
Officials argue that many of the targeted countries lack stable governments, secure civil registries, or cooperative law-enforcement systems, making identity verification and security screening challenging. Until new screening procedures are implemented, all related cases remain on hold.
Supporters of the move argue it is a prudent measure to protect national security. Critics say the policy unfairly penalizes entire populations, affects thousands of legitimate applicants who followed all legal requirements, and expands what was already one of the strictest immigration restrictions in recent U.S. history.
Countries fully or heavily restricted
Full ban / severely restricted under the proclamation:
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Afghanistan
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Myanmar (Burma)
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Chad
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Republic of the Congo
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Equatorial Guinea
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Eritrea
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Haiti
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Iran
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Libya
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Somalia
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Sudan
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Yemen
Countries partially restricted or added under extended review
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Burundi
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Cuba
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Laos
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Sierra Leone
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Togo
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Turkmenistan
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Venezuela
The administration has not indicated how long the adjudicative hold will remain in place, nor when updated vetting procedures will be completed.
