With all the Immigration policy changes in the last year, U.S. Embassy and Consular restrictions have changed dramatically for anyone pursuing a marriage-based green card or visa. We have seen new travel ban proclamations, USCIS benefit holds covering dozens of countries, a 75-country immigrant visa freeze, and a fresh wave of embassy closures. These restrictions overlap in certain cases as well.

• Category 1: Physical embassy closures with no U.S. consular staff available at all
• Category 2: Open embassies conducting interviews but legally prohibited from issuing a visa afterward
• Category 3: Full travel bans that bar entry entirely
• Category 4: Some countries fall into all three categories at once

This post is designed to give you the clearest possible picture of where things stand right now, but it is changing all the time.
Read this carefully. Find your partner’s country. Then call us to double check or get the latest information, and we can help process any files you need.

Category 1: Full Travel Bans.
All Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visas Suspended

These 19 countries are subject to a complete suspension of both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa issuance under Presidential Proclamation 10998, effective January 1, 2026. Nationals of these countries cannot currently receive any U.S. visa, with very limited national interest exceptions.

Afghanistan, Burma (Myanmar), Burkina Faso, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen. Nationals of the Palestinian Authority are also covered under this proclamation.

For most of these countries, a partner cannot currently receive a K-1 fiancé visa, a CR-1 spousal visa, or have a green card application processed at all. USCIS has also issued benefit holds that compound these restrictions further. Policy Memorandum PM-602-0192 (December 2025) placed holds on benefit applications for nationals of all 19 countries originally listed under Presidential Proclamation 10949, including Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen, as well as Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Policy Memorandum PM-602-0194 (January 2026) then expanded those holds to cover nationals of all 39 countries listed under PP 10998. This means that for nationals of any country on the travel ban list, applications are frozen at USCIS regardless of any consular steps taken.

Category 2: Partial Travel Bans
All Immigrant Visas and Certain Nonimmigrant Visas Suspended

These 19 countries are subject to a partial suspension under the same December 2025 Proclamation. All immigrant visas are suspended. B-1/B-2 visitor visas and F, M, and J student and exchange visitor visas are also suspended. Other nonimmigrant categories may still be processed.

1. Angola
2. Antigua and Barbuda
3. Benin
4. Burundi
5. Cote d’Ivoire
6. Cuba
7. Dominica
8. Gabon
9. The Gambia
10. Malawi
11. Mauritania
12. Nigeria
13. Senegal
14. Tanzania
15. Togo
16. Tonga
17. Venezuela
18. Zambia
19. Zimbabwe

Additionally, Turkmenistan nationals are subject to a suspension of all immigrant visas effective January 1, 2026, under a separate determination.

This all means a spousal visa or green card through consular processing is not currently available for nationals of these countries. If your partner is from Nigeria or Uganda and is already in the United States, adjustment of status may be the only currently viable path to a green card.

Category 3: The 75-Country Immigrant Visa Freeze

Effective January 21, 2026, the Department of State announced an indefinite pause on immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries, citing a public charge review. This is a separate and additional layer of restriction from the travel bans above. Under this freeze, consular interviews can still be conducted and applications can still be submitted, but no immigrant visa can actually be issued at the conclusion of the interview.

This is critically important to understand: your partner can fly to their interview, sit across from a consular officer, answer every question correctly, and still leave without a visa. The freeze does not cancel the interview. It cancels the outcome.

The 75 affected countries include all countries in Categories 1 and 2 above, plus a wide range of additional nations across Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, and Latin America. The full list includes:

1. Albania
2. Algeria
3. Armenia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Bahamas
6. Bangladesh
7. Barbados
8. Belarus
9. Belize
10. Bhutan
11. Bosnia and Herzegovina
12. Brazil
13. Cambodia
14. Cameroon
15. Cape Verde
16. Colombia
17. Congo (Democratic Republic)
18. Egypt
19. Ethiopia
20. Fiji
21. Georgia
22. Ghana
23. Grenada
24. Guatemala
25. Guinea
26. Iraq
27. Jamaica
28. Jordan
29. Kazakhstan
30. Kosovo
31. Kuwait
32. Kyrgyzstan
33. Lebanon
34. Liberia
35. Moldova
36. Mongolia
37. Montenegro
38. Morocco
39. Nepal
40. Nicaragua
41. Nigeria
42. North Macedonia
43. Pakistan
44. Russia
45. Rwanda
46. Saint Kitts and Nevis
47. Saint Lucia
48. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
49. Sierra Leone
50. Thailand
51. Tunisia
52. Uganda
53. Uruguay
54. Uzbekistan

Adjustment of Status applicants inside the United States are not affected by this freeze. If your partner is already in the U.S. on a valid visa, adjustment of status bypasses consular processing entirely and remains a viable path.

A federal lawsuit challenging this policy was filed in February 2026. As of the date of this post, the freeze remains in effect. We are monitoring litigation developments closely.

Category 4: Physical Embassy Closures
Redirected to Third-Country Posts

These countries have no functional U.S. Embassy or consulate. Even setting aside the travel bans and visa freezes, there is no U.S. consular staff available in the country itself. Applications are redirected to designated posts in other countries. It’s important to note that

Afghanistan U.S. Embassy Kabul: fully suspended. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Islamabad, Pakistan. Note: Pakistan itself is now subject to emergency suspensions (see Category 5 below).

Belarus U.S. Embassy Minsk: fully suspended due to security concerns. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Warsaw, Poland.

Eritrea U.S. Embassy Asmara: nonimmigrant services only. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, or U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya.

Haiti U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince: all services paused due to safety concerns. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Nassau, Bahamas.

Iran No U.S. diplomatic or physical presence. Immigrant visas processed at U.S. Embassy Abu Dhabi (UAE), U.S. Embassy Ankara (Turkey now suspended), or U.S. Embassy Yerevan (Armenia).

Libya U.S. Embassy Tripoli: all services suspended. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Tunis, Tunisia.

Somalia No functional consular services. Applicants directed to U.S. Embassy Nairobi, Kenya.

Venezuela U.S. Embassy Caracas: immigrant visa services redirected to U.S. Embassy Bogotá, Colombia.

Yemen U.S. Embassy Sanaa: all services suspended. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Djibouti.

Zimbabwe U.S. Embassy Harare: routine visa services paused as of August 2025. Immigrant visas redirected to U.S. Embassy Johannesburg, South Africa.

Category 5: Emergency Suspensions
March 2026 (Iran-Israel-U.S. Conflict)

As of March 9, 2026, U.S. embassies and consulates in the following countries have suspended routine visa services due to the ongoing regional conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. These suspensions are described as temporary but have no announced end date.

Iraq U.S. Embassy Baghdad and U.S. Consulate General Erbil: all routine consular services suspended.

Jordan U.S. Embassy Amman: all immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments cancelled until further notice.

Kuwait U.S. Embassy Kuwait City: all operations and consular appointments suspended.

Lebanon U.S. Embassy Beirut: routine consular services suspended. Emergency services for U.S. citizens only on a limited basis.

Pakistan U.S. Embassy Islamabad: all visa appointments cancelled March 9 onward. U.S. Consulate General Karachi and U.S. Consulate Lahore: suspended until further notice.

Saudi Arabia U.S. Embassy Riyadh: all routine consular and visa services suspended.

Bahrain: Routine consular services remain suspended. Only very limited services

UAE: Both facilities are closed until further notice, with all in-person consular services suspended, including visa processing for foreign nationals

What does this mean for your spouse or fiancee?

If your partner’s country appears in more than one category above, which many do, their situation is not just complicated. It may currently have no viable consular path at all. Here is how to think about your options:

If your partner is already in the United States on a valid visa: Adjustment of status is not affected by the consular freeze or the travel bans. This is your most important tool right now. It should be your first conversation with an immigration attorney.

If your partner is abroad in a travel ban country: There are very limited national interest exceptions available under Proclamation 10998. These exceptions are narrow, discretionary, and require careful legal preparation. They are not guaranteed. Call us before assuming there is no path.

If your partner is abroad in a freeze-only country (not a travel ban country): The interview can proceed but no visa will be issued during the freeze. Monitoring the federal lawsuit and being ready to move quickly when the freeze lifts is the right strategy. Keep your case current and your documents up to date.

If your partner has dual nationality: Dual nationals applying with a valid passport from a country not on the affected lists may be exempt from the visa issuance pause. This is one of the most underused options right now and worth an immediate review of your partner’s citizenship status.

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The Bottom Line

I have been practicing immigration law for 30 years. We are always dealing with new restrictions, and changes in immigration law.

If your partner’s country appears anywhere on this list, the conversation you need to have is not with a blog post. It is with an immigration attorney who is tracking these changes daily.

Call our office at (973) 642-1111 or schedule a consultation. We return most calls within 24 hours.

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This post reflects restrictions as of April 2026. This area of law is changing rapidly. Litigation challenging several of these policies is active in federal court. Please verify current status with counsel before taking any action.

Harlan York & Associates represents clients in marriage-based immigration, same-sex couple immigration, adjustment of status, and immigration matters throughout New Jersey, New York, and nationally.