WASHINGTON: The United States has temporarily halted all immigration applications from citizens of 19 countries, including requests for green cards and U.S. citizenship.
According to U.S. media, the affected countries include Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan, Turkmenistan, Yemen, among others.
The suspension applies to individuals from these countries whose applications had previously been blocked under the Trump administration in June.
The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that all final decisions, approvals or denials, on applications from these countries are on hold, including cases for individuals who were close to obtaining U.S. citizenship.
The move follows a recent shooting near the White House carried out by an Afghan citizen, which resulted in the death of one National Guard member and critical injury to another.
In response, the U.S. also suspended visa issuance for all Afghan passport holders and paused all pending asylum decisions.
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