The pause of immigrant visas from 75 countries that started from January 21 may add around 50,000 employment-based Green Card quotas in 2027 as family-based Green Card quotas pass on to employment-based the next year if they (family-based) remain unused. This is the only positive takeaway for Green Card applicants from the pause on 75 countries. Immigration experts explained that this happened during Covid also, and as a result, the Priority Dates moved up to 4-5 years.
Immigration attorney Emily Neumann said she went through the data of all the countries mentioned on the 75-country list to check how much family-based Green Card quotas they had to calculate how much spillover can be expected next year for employment-based categories. About 67,000 immigrant visas would have been allotted to these 75 countries in the current fiscal year, had the ban not been announced, but as the ban came into effect after the first quarter of this fiscal year (starting from October 1), there would be 50,000 spillover Green Cards if the ban on these 75 countries continue through this fiscal year ending in September 2026.
Citing 2024 data, Neumann confirmed that Pakistan had the highest number of family-based Green Card quota (15,000), followed by Bangladesh (8000). Both countries have been put on the immigrant visa ban list.
Immigrant visa ban list
The Trump administration announced a list of 75 countries from which it won't process any immigration visa requests as of now. This ban would be in place until the administration reassesses how much welfare benefits these nationals are using. The list includes: Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Cuba, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, North Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, the 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.
Immigrant visa vs non-immigrant visa
The ban is only on immigrant visa which is sought by people who want to live permanently in the US. The visa ban does not impact H-1Bs, students, travelers from these 75 countries.