Costa Rica NOT on U.S. visa processing freeze list

Q COSTARICA — The U.S. State Department announced it will suspend all visa processing for 75 countries starting January 21.

A State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures.

The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran and more, confirmed Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on X (formerly Twitter).

The guidance instructs consular officers to deny visas to applicants deemed likely to rely on public benefits, weighing a wide range of factors including health, age, English proficiency, finances and even potential need for long-term medical care. Older or overweight applicants could be denied, along with those who had any past use of government cash assistance or institutionalization.

“The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Piggott said in a statement.

Costa Rica is NOT on the list.

The Latin countries affected by the suspension include Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uruguay.

The full list of countries with suspended visa processing:

1. Afghanistan,
2. Albania,
3. Algeria,
4. Antigua and Barbuda,
5. Armenia,
6. Azerbaijan,
7. Bahamas,
8. Bangladesh,
9. Barbados,
10. Belarus,
11. Belize,
12. Bhutan,
13. Bosnia,
14. Brazil,
15. Burma,
16. Cambodia,
17. Cameroon,
18. Cape Verde,
19. Colombia,
20. Cote d’Ivoire,
21. Cuba,
22. Democratic Republic of the Congo,
23. Dominica,
24. Egypt,
25. Eritrea,
26. Ethiopia,
27. Fiji,
28. Gambia,
29. Georgia,
30. Ghana,
31. Grenada,
32. Guatemala,
33. Guinea,
34. Haiti,
35. Iran,
36. Iraq,
37. Jamaica,
38. Jordan,
39. Kazakhstan,
40. Kosovo,
41. Kuwait,
42. Kyrgyzstan,
43. Laos,
44. Lebanon,
45. Liberia,
46. Libya,
47. Macedonia,
48. Moldova,
49. Mongolia,
50. Montenegro,
51. Morocco,
52. Nepal,
53. Nicaragua,
54. Nigeria,
55. Pakistan,
56. Republic of the Congo,
57. Russia,
58. Rwanda,
59. Saint Kitts and Nevis,
60. Saint Lucia,
61. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines,
62. Senegal,
63. Sierra Leone,
64. Somalia,
65. South Sudan,
66. Sudan,
67. Syria,
68. Tanzania,
69. Thailand,
70. Togo,
71. Tunisia,
72. Uganda,
73. Uruguay,
74. Uzbekistan and
75. Yemen