The 75-Country Immigrant Visa Pause Was Vacated: What It Means for Your Family
What was struck down, what is still in force, which Arab countries are affected, and how to protect your relative's case while the appeals play out.
In short (updated October 7, 2026): The State Department's pause on immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, which began January 21, 2026 and covered Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Kuwait among others, is no longer in effect. A federal court in New York vacated it on August 21, 2026, and the State Department announced it would comply. The government has appealed and asked for a stay, which the appeals court had not decided as of our last check. Separately, the Proclamation 10998 travel ban still blocks immigrant visas for nationals of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Mauritania and for Palestinian Authority document holders, including spouses of US citizens.
Get an alert the moment it changes
One short email when there is official news: registration opens, the bulletin moves, or a rule changes. No spam, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
Enter your family category and priority date to see where you stand in the latest bulletin and an estimated wait.
What happened, and when
Three separate measures are often confused: the 75-country immigrant visa pause (State Department), the Proclamation 10998 travel ban on 39 countries, and the USCIS hold on applications from nationals of those 39 countries. Timeline confirmed as of October 7, 2026:
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Dec. 16, 2025 | Proclamation 10998 signed, effective 12:01 a.m. Eastern on January 1, 2026. |
| Jan. 1, 2026 | USCIS memo PM-602-0194 holds benefit applications (green cards, work permits, naturalization) from nationals of the 39 countries. |
| Jan. 21, 2026 | Immigrant visa issuance paused for nationals of 75 countries, citing a review of "public charge" screening. |
| Feb. 2, 2026 | CLINIC v. Rubio filed in the Southern District of New York. |
| June 5, 2026 | A federal court in Rhode Island vacates the USCIS hold policies in the Dorcas case; the government appeals. |
| Aug. 21, 2026 | Judge Jeannette Vargas vacates the 75-country pause and orders refusals based solely on it to be reconsidered. |
| Aug. 24, 2026 | A Northern District of California court preliminarily enjoins memos PM-602-0192 and PM-602-0194; USCIS posts that it will comply on Aug. 28. |
| Aug. 28, 2026 | State Department announces the 75-country pause is no longer in effect. |
| Sept. 8, 2026 | The government tells the court more than 43,000 applications were refused solely under the policy. |
| Sept. 10–28, 2026 | Appeal filed. The district court denies a stay on Sept. 25; the government asks the Second Circuit for an emergency stay on Sept. 28. |
| Oct. 5, 2026 | No ruling yet on the stay motion, so the vacatur remains in force. |
Bottom line: the law favors families today, but it is not final. A stay from the Second Circuit could bring the pause back during the appeal.
What the pause covered, and what it didn't
The pause as announced, and its status now:
| Item | During the pause (Jan. 21 – Aug. 21, 2026) | Status on Oct. 7, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Immigrant visa issuance abroad (IR and F family categories, employment) | Paused. Officers interviewed applicants, then refused under INA 221(g). | Pause vacated; refusals based only on it are being reconsidered. |
| NVC document submission and interviews | Continued. Applicants were told to keep submitting and attend interviews. | Continuing, with reports of interview scheduling delays since late August. |
| Nonimmigrant visas (visitor, student, temporary work) | Not covered. | Not covered, though the travel ban limits some of them for certain countries. |
| Adjustment of status inside the US (I-485) | Outside this consular pause, but the USCIS hold hit nationals of the 39 countries. | Courts have ordered USCIS to lift its holds; litigation continues. |
| Dual nationals | Exempt when applying on a passport of a country not on the list. | Unaffected. |
Which Arab countries are on which list?
travel.state.gov blocked our automated checks, so we matched the 75-country list against the Mintz law firm's summary and other law-firm lists. The travel ban list comes from the official proclamation text.
| Country | 75-country list (vacated) | Proclamation 10998 (in force) |
|---|---|---|
| Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Kuwait | Listed | Not listed |
| Libya, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia | Listed | Full suspension, immigrant and nonimmigrant |
| Syria | Listed | Full suspension (newly added) |
| Mauritania | Not listed | Partial suspension that includes all immigrant visas |
| Palestinian Authority travel documents | Not listed as a country | Full suspension for travel on these documents |
| Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Djibouti, Comoros | Not listed | Not listed |
So Egyptian, Iraqi, Jordanian or Moroccan families are back on the normal track, while Syrian, Yemeni, Sudanese, Libyan, Somali and Mauritanian families still face the travel ban. See our 2026 travel ban guide.
Does it cover a US citizen's spouse and children?
The 75-country pause did include immediate relatives of US citizens (IR categories: spouses, minor children, parents), but it has been vacated. Proclamation 10998 is stricter: it has no general immediate-relative exception. Its listed exceptions are:
- Lawful permanent residents (green card holders).
- Dual nationals traveling on a passport from a country that is not designated.
- Anyone holding a valid visa issued before January 1, 2026; the proclamation says such visas are not revoked because of it.
- Narrow categories such as certain diplomatic visas and Special Immigrant Visas for US government employees.
- Rare, discretionary case-by-case national-interest exceptions.
It also does not apply to people already granted asylum or admitted as refugees.
If your relative was refused under 221(g)
The court ordered these refusals reconsidered. Law firms report consulates began reprocessing them, oldest first, in late August; the pace varies by post.
- Watch for embassy messages at the email address on file. Don't change it without updating the case.
- Refresh expired documents, such as passports, police certificates and affidavit of support income evidence.
- Ask about the medical exam. Results are valid only for a limited time, and a long delay may mean a new exam. Ask the embassy or the panel physician before paying again.
- Don't start a new case before you know where the old one stands.
Practical steps for families in the US
If you filed an I-130 for a relative, these steps protect the case whatever the courts do next:
- Don't let the case lapse. By law (INA 203(g)), the State Department terminates the registration of an applicant who fails to apply within one year of being notified that a visa is available, unless they show within two years that the failure was beyond their control. Answer every NVC message on time.
- Your priority date is not lost. Your relative's place in line is set by the petition's filing date. Track it monthly using our Visa Bulletin guide. Fiscal year 2027 began October 1, 2026.
- Watch children close to 21. Long waits can change a child's category; the Child Status Protection Act (CSPA) rules need a professional review.
- Keep copies of everything: receipts, NVC emails, refusal sheets and interview dates.
- If your relative is from a travel-ban country, check whether they hold a second nationality with a non-designated passport; that is the clearest exception. If they are already in the US, adjustment of status may be the path. See our I-130 family petition guide.
When to talk to a licensed attorney
- Your relative was refused under 221(g) and you have heard nothing weeks after the State Department's announcement.
- The NVC one-year window is close, or a child is about to turn 21.
- Your relative is from a travel-ban country and you are considering an exception request.
- A USCIS application pending since January 2026 still hasn't moved.
Our guide to finding an immigration lawyer or legal aid lists free and low-cost options.
Common mistakes
- Paying a "fixer." No one can get around a pause through connections. Pay fees only to the government and get advice only from a licensed attorney.
- Mixing up the three measures. The end of the 75-country pause does not lift the travel ban on Syrians, Yemenis or Sudanese.
- Trusting "the door is open" or "the door is closed" posts. Court rulings change the picture; rely on the State Department and embassy websites.
What comes next
The key event is the Second Circuit's ruling on the stay request: a denial keeps normal processing going; a grant could bring the pause back during the appeal. The travel ban itself is reviewed every 180 days, so countries can be added or removed.
Follow the State Department's visa news, your relative's embassy website and USCIS alerts. We will update this page after any new ruling.
Frequently asked questions
Has the immigrant visa pause for Egypt been lifted?
Yes. A federal court vacated the 75-country pause, which included Egypt, on August 21, 2026, and the State Department said on August 28 that it is no longer in effect. The government has appealed, so a stay could change that.
Does the pause affect the spouse of a US citizen?
The 75-country pause did, but it has been vacated. Proclamation 10998 has no general immediate-relative exception, so spouses from Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Mauritania generally cannot get immigrant visas unless a specific exception applies.
My relative was refused under 221(g) during the pause. What now?
The court ordered refusals based solely on the pause to be reconsidered; the government says more than 43,000 cases fall in that group. Watch for embassy messages, update expired documents, and see a lawyer if you hear nothing.
Does the pause affect tourist or student visas?
No. The 75-country pause covered immigrant visas only. The separate travel ban does restrict nonimmigrant visas for some countries, including Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia.
Does my relative lose their priority date?
No, the priority date keeps its place. But by law the registration is terminated if the applicant fails to apply within one year of being told a visa is available, so answer NVC on time.
Is adjustment of status on hold for travel-ban nationals?
USCIS put those applications on hold on January 1, 2026. Federal courts ordered the holds lifted in June and August 2026, and USCIS said on August 28 it would comply. Litigation continues.
Official sources we reviewed
- Federal Register (govinfo) — Proclamation 10998, Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals ↗
- USCIS — Newsroom Alerts (Recent Court Order on Hold Policies, Aug. 28, 2026) ↗
- 8 U.S.C. 1153(g) (INA 203(g)) — termination of registration after one year ↗
- AILA — DOS Announces Compliance with Court Order Halting IV Issuance Pause for Nationals of 75 Countries (secondary) ↗
- AILA — USCIS Announces Compliance with Preliminary Injunction to Lift Adjudication Hold (secondary) ↗
- Mintz — State Department Suspends Immigrant Visa Processing for 75 Countries (secondary) ↗
- Maki Law Firm — CLINIC v. Rubio timeline, updated Oct. 5, 2026 (secondary) ↗