© 2026 Farhad Sethna, Attorney
The US Department of State has issued a new directive to consulates worldwide, asking them to pause immigrant visa applications to check whether applicants pose a potential to seek public benefits while in the United States.
The directive comes weeks after the US government understood what it said was substantial fraud in public benefits, specifically, childcare centers operated by Somalis in Minnesota.
Similar claims will probably be made about other immigrant communities which rely on certain types of social services in the United States.
All of this is of course in keeping with the Trump administration’s desire to curb immigration to the USA, to demonize immigrants, and to try and deport as many immigrants – both lawful as well as undocumented – through any means possible, including unfounded and baseless allegations.
In addition, the Department of State has updated the list of countries whose nationals may be required to post a visa bond when applying for a visitor visa (B-1/B-2 for business or tourism).
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/countries-subject-to-visa-bonds.html
“Any citizen or national traveling on a passport issued by one of these countries, who is found otherwise eligible for a B1/B2 visa, must post a bond for $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000. The amount is determined at the time of the visa interview.”
These directives come as the US gears up to host the World Cup, the ultimate sporting event in the world for football (soccer) in the USA.
The directives, as is usual for Trump orders, are vague. It requires consulates to vet applicants for immigrant and nonimmigrant visas for potential use of public benefits in the USA. Applicants will need to fill out an additional form to justify to the State Department that they will not be potentially seeking any public benefits on admission to the USA. The department will also ask whether they have ever received any public benefits anywhere in the world in any other country, as a determining factor of whether the applicant will also rely on public benefits in the US.
Some of the factors that the Department of State requires officials to look into include the following: age, health, family status, finances, education, skills, and – as noted above – past use of public assistance anywhere in the world. The Consulates are also now required to assess the applicant’s English proficiency and are allowed to do so by conducting interviews in English. This will obviously pose a severe burden to individuals who do not speak the English language, and are coming to the USA for nonimmigrant purposes – for example, tourism, to attend the World Cup, business, etc.
At this time, 75 countries are on the State Department’s list for this heightened immigrant visa screening. Full details of all the countries can be found in the article from NPR, which you can find here: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/14/g-s1-106065/trump-immigrant-visa-suspensions-public-assistance
For further details, in the ever widening and unsubstantiated decisions of the Trump administration to restrict immigration, please stay tuned to this website.
© Farhad Sethna, Attorney, 2026
Farhad Sethna has practiced law for over 30 years. He was awarded his JD in 1990 and his MBA in 1991, both from the University of Akron. Since 1996, he has also been an adjunct professor of Immigration Law at the University of Akron, School of Law, in Akron, Ohio, where he wrote and continues to use his own immigration textbook. Attorney Sethna is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education and professional development seminars on various immigration-related topics. His practice is limited to immigration and small business. He has won awards for excellence in teaching and for pro-bono service. With offices in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, Attorney Sethna represents clients in all types of immigration cases before federal agencies and the immigration courts nationwide. A private pilot, it is Farhad’s goal to fly to each of Ohio’s 88 county airports. Our number is: (330) 384-8000. Please send your general immigration questions to farhad@sethnalaw.com. We will try to answer as many questions as possible.