Pakistan said on Thursday it expects the United States to resume immigrant visa processing shortly, viewing the recent suspension as part of an internal review.
The US announced on Wednesday that it is suspening immigrant visa processing for Pakistan and 74 other countries, effective January 21, citing concerns that immigrants from these nations often rely on public welfare programmes.
In a statement, the State Department said the “freeze will remain active until the US can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people.”
Responding to questions about the move, despite Pakistan’s improved ties with Washington in recent months, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said the ministry had acknowleged the “reports.”
“Basically, it was a brief statement by the US State Department on their social media account about the internal review of processing immigrant visas that they are in the process of,” he said.
He added, “We are in touch with US authorities to ascertain further details. This is evolving news that we are following. We understand that this is an internal ongoing process of review of US immigration policies and systems, and hope that the routine processing of immigrant visas will resume soon.”
The suspension could affect travel, study, and work plans for thousands of Pakistanis who seek US visas each year. Pakistani consulates in the US are expected to provide guidance to applicants affected by the freeze in the coming days.
The freeze is linked to the US public-charge rule, which evaluates whether immigrants are likely to rely on government assistance. While temporary suspensions of visa services have occurred in the past, officials described the scope of this action as unprecedented.
No timeline has been provided for resuming services, but the State Department has assured that countries will be notified once the review is complete.