The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of immigrant visa processing.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT MINNESOTA’S ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ FRAUD AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S LATEST CRACKDOWN
Somalia has drawn heightened scrutiny from federal officials following a sweeping fraud scandal centered in Minnesota, where prosecutors uncovered massive abuse of taxpayer-funded benefit programs. Many of those involved are Somali nationals or Somali-Americans.
In November 2025, a State Department cable sent to posts around the globe instructed consular officers to enforce sweeping new screening rules under the so-called "public charge" provision of immigration law.
指导方针指示领事官员拒绝对可能依赖公共福利的申请人发放签证，权衡健康状况、年龄、英语能力、经济状况甚至长期医疗需求等多种因素。
明尼苏达州的优质学习中心被发现卷入了该州一起涉嫌托儿欺诈丑闻的中心。 （马德琳·富尔斯特 / 福克斯新闻频道）
年长或超重的申请人可能会被拒绝，过去曾使用过政府现金援助或机构收容者也一样。
国务院发言人汤米·皮格特在声明中表示：“国务院将利用其长期权力，认定不符合资格的潜在移民，这些移民将成为美国的公共负担，并利用美国人民的慷慨。”
“这75个国家的移民将暂停，国务院重新评估移民处理程序，以防止将领取福利和公共福利的外国人入境。”
优质学习中心经理易卜拉欣·阿里否认有任何欺诈行为，尽管独立记者尼克·雪莉最近报道了该机构。丑闻在国务院暂停签证审理前曝光。 （泳池）
暂停将于1月21日开始，并无限期持续，直到部门对签证处理进行重新评估。（iStock）
尽管公共负担条款已存在数十年，但各届政府的执法差异很大，历来领事官员在适用该标准时拥有广泛的裁量权。
新暂停的例外情况将“非常有限”，且仅在申请人通过公共负担考量后才允许。
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A 2022 version of the public charge rule under the Biden administration had limited the scope of benefits considered — primarily to cash assistance and long-term institutional care — excluding programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the federal supplemental nutrition program for women, infants and children, known as WIC, Medicaid or housing vouchers.
The Immigration and Nationality Act has long permitted consular officers to deem applicants inadmissible on public charge grounds, but President Donald Trump in 2019 expanded the definition to include a broader range of public benefits. That expansion was challenged in court, with portions ultimately blocked before being rescinded by the Biden administration.
The full list of countries comprises of 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.
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