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US suspends immigration visas for Albania and Kosovo, State Department document revealed: Refusal to start from January 21, will be indefinite
2026-01-14 21:04:05 / AKTUALITET
Following the suspension of the American lottery, the State Department has announced a ban on issuing visas to Albania from January 21st.
A State Department memo, first seen by Fox News Digital, instructs consular officials to deny visas under existing law while the department reviews screening and verification procedures.
The suspension will begin on January 21 and will continue indefinitely, until the department conducts a reassessment of immigrant visa processing.
In November 2025, a State Department communiqué sent to diplomatic missions around the world instructed consular officers to implement new comprehensive screening rules under the so-called “public charge” provision of immigration law.
The guidance requires consular officers to deny visas to applicants who are assessed as likely to rely on public benefits, taking into account a wide range of factors, including health, age, English language proficiency, financial situation and even the potential need for long-term medical care.
Older or overweight applicants may be rejected, as may those who have had any previous use of state financial assistance or have been institutionalized.
“The State Department will use its early authority to declare ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public burden on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” State Department spokesman Tommy Piggott said in a statement.
According to Fox News, Albania is one of 75 countries on the list of countries that will have visa processing for immigrants suspended from January 21st.
The full list of countries whose citizens are suspended from issuing US visas:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ivory Coast, 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, North 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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