U.S. will halt issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries, Bloomberg reports

The U.S. State Department will pause issuing immigrant visas for people from 75 countries including Brazil, Somalia and Iran, targeting specifically foreigners who they say could require public assistance while living in the U.S., Bloomberg’s Eric Martin and Alicia A. Caldwell report. The move applies only to people seeking to live and work permanently in the U.S., not tourists or temporary workers, according to a person familiar with the matter. The visa pause, which will begin Jan. 21, is expected to hit family-based immigration hardest, affecting spouses, children and other immediate relatives of primarily U.S. citizens who would otherwise be eligible for permanent residency, the authors note.