The State Department is pausing immigrant visa processing for 12 Caribbean nations in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge.
A State Department memo directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.
The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of immigrant visa processing.
The full list of countries comprises of Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Cuba.
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.
The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care.