US Suspends Visas for Bangladesh and 74 Other Countries, know why

The United States has decided to fully suspend visas for citizens of 75 countries, including Bangladesh. This decision will take effect from January 21, according to a report by Fox News published on Wednesday, January 14.

The report says the main reason behind this move is to stop people who enter the US and later become heavily dependent on government welfare or social benefit programs. To implement this decision, the US State Department has already sent urgent instructions to consular offices in those 75 countries.

Under the new order, the current visa screening system will be reviewed again. During this review period, all visa applications from these 75 countries must be rejected.

US State Department spokesperson Tammy Pigott said the visa process is being reexamined. For now, people from these 75 countries will not be allowed to enter the US. The goal is to prevent foreign nationals who may rely on US government aid from coming into the country.

She also said immigration from these countries will remain suspended until the review is complete. However, no time limit has been mentioned for how long the suspension will last.

Earlier, on January 4, President Donald Trump shared a list on his social media platform Truth Social showing which immigrant groups receive the most US government assistance. In that list of 120 countries and regions, Bangladesh ranked 19th**. The data showed that 54.8 percent of Bangladeshi immigrant families in the US receive government benefits.

From South Asia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Nepal were included in the discussion. India and Sri Lanka were not on the list.

Although the US government has not officially published the full list of 75 countries, Fox News released it based on State Department documents. The list includes countries such as Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Nigeria, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, and many others.

This decision may affect students, workers, and families who were planning to apply for US visas in the near future.