The Trump administration announced it would stop issuing immigrant visas for nationals from 75 countries. CBS News' Olivia Gazis breaks down the reasons why.

Washington

The Trump administration has decided to halt the issuance of immigrant visas for individuals from 75 countries, including Russia, Egypt, and Colombia. The policy targets those seeking permanent residency, not tourists or students, and is justified by the administration as a measure to prevent abuse of the immigration system and prioritize applicants deemed self-sufficient.

Critics argue that the move disproportionately affects poorer nations, elderly applicants, and those with health conditions, potentially discouraging skilled immigrants. The administration states this is part of its broader 'America First' immigration policy, which has included enhanced vetting, reduced asylum opportunities, and a record number of visa revocations. Reports indicate that net migration to the U.S. turned negative in 2025 for the first time in decades.

Trump admin halting immigrant visas for nationals from 75 countries

The Trump administration announced it will stop giving out visas to people from dozens of countries who wish to move to the United States permanently. So for the why part of this story, let's bring in CBS News intelligence and national security reporter Olivia Gossis from Washington. So Olivia, what's the State Department saying about this? And what's really the reason by Mr. Trump's administration? Sure, Rita, well, there's a number of reasons why the administration is taking this step. The principle to continue conveying very publicly that the U.S. is going to be much more selective about who it lets into the country. And the fundamental legal reasoning here is it's already on the books. It's rooted in existing law under federal immigration rules. Visas can already be denied if someone is likely to become what's called a public charge, meaning dependent on government benefits. And this category of visa is for those who want to move here permanently, usually to join family or to take a long-term job. It's not for tourists or students. And the administration is saying here that pausing processing for these 75 countries, which include Russia, Egypt, Colombia, is meant to stop what they say is abuse of the system and prioritize people who they say are self-sufficient. Critics are pointing out that this isn't fixing the lock. It's narrowing the doorway, especially for poorer countries, for elderly applicants, people with health conditions. And it runs the risk of making the U.S. so unattractive a destination that it's going to disincentivize the people. We do want to come here, youth and talent, who would contribute productively to the U.S. economy. Well, we do know that restrictions have been applied in limited cases historically. So what is the administration hoping to achieve by imposing this sanction now? Yeah, it's all in furtherance of this America First immigration policy, which is broadly predicated on restricting immigration overall, reducing the number of people who are allowed to enter, being more selective about the kinds of people who can enter, emphasizing, again, self-sufficiency, penalizing countries whose visitors may have overstayed in the past. And it comes alongside a number of other measures that state and other arms of the government have done. The State Department has very much touted the fact that it's revoked more than 100,000 visas already, which it says is a record. It's been very clear it is very much enhancing vetting for non-immigrant visas. It's reducing asylum opportunities. It's picking and choosing which countries are still going to need to abide by these stricter measures. And the underlying mantra has been visas are a privilege, not a right. And the U.S., by doing this, is protecting and prioritizing its own national security by taking these steps. It looks like it's already having an effect, because we believe that net migration has turned negative in 2025 for the very first time for the U.S. in decades. Olivia Gossis, thank you so much. Good to see you, friend.

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