In a sweeping move with global implications, the United States has paused all immigration applications — including green cards, citizenship, asylum processing, and travel document reviews — for individuals from 19 non-European countries, citing the need for an urgent national-security reassessment.

The decision, confirmed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), follows the recent Washington DC shooting, in which the alleged attacker originated from one of the affected countries. Officials said the freeze is intended to allow “enhanced vetting and review of existing protocols.”

The countries impacted include Afghanistan, Somalia, Iran, Libya, Yemen, Sudan, Eritrea, the Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Cuba, Haiti, Venezuela, and several others previously under partial restrictions.

The suspension affects not only new applications but also pending and recently approved files, many of which will now undergo additional security checks or re-interviews.

The policy also temporarily halts Form I-589 asylum applications, regardless of nationality, placing thousands of asylum seekers in immediate uncertainty.

Scheduled naturalisation ceremonies, interviews, and biometric appointments for applicants from the listed nations have been cancelled or postponed indefinitely.

While the administration argues the move is a necessary safeguard to prevent potential threats, the decision has triggered strong pushback from legal advocates and civil rights organisations.

Critics argue that the measure amounts to collective punishment, disproportionately affecting families, students, refugees, and long-term residents with no connection to criminal activity.

Immigration lawyers warn the sweeping freeze could create significant backlogs, disrupt reunification processes, and cause humanitarian complications for asylum seekers already waiting years for adjudication.

Human-rights groups, meanwhile, say the pause marks one of the most expansive nationality-based immigration suspensions in recent U.S. history and may serve as a template for stricter immigration controls going forward.

With no timeline announced for the policy’s rollback, thousands of applicants from the affected regions remain in limbo as USCIS begins what it calls a “comprehensive, case-by-case security audit.”