Executive summary
The announcement by the Trump administration of a planned pause on the issuance of permanent visas for would-be immigrants from 75 countries could significantly reshape patterns of permanent legal immigration to the United States. By temporarily suspending immigrant visa processing for a large group of countries, the measure has the potential to affect a substantial share of applicants seeking lawful permanent residence. This analysis by the Spanish Institute for Migration Analysis (IEAM) examines the scope of these potential impacts based on immigrant visa data published by the U.S. State Department for fiscal year 2024.
