Reviewed by Jane Katkova, Founder & Licensed CICC ConsultantEffective 21 January 2026, the US Department of State paused the issuance of immigrant visas to nationals of 75 countries. The Department says the pause will last while it carries out a full review of its policies, regulations and guidance on public charge, the ground of inadmissibility that applies to applicants considered likely to depend on public benefits.
All five Caribbean citizenship by investment states are on the list: Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia.
Scope of the immigrant visa pause
The measure is narrower than a travel ban, and it is separate from Presidential Proclamation 10998, which took effect on 1 January 2026.
- What stops: US consulates do not issue immigrant visas to nationals of the 75 listed countries. Applications can still be submitted and interviews still take place, but no visa is issued at the end.
- What continues: non-immigrant visas, including visitor, student and employment-based categories, are not suspended by this measure. Law firms reporting on the announcement note that applicants from the listed countries may face closer public charge review.
- Dual nationals: an applicant who applies with a valid passport of a country that is not on the list is exempt from the pause.
- Duration: no end date has been published. The pause is described as indefinite, pending the review.
How it overlaps with Proclamation 10998
For Antigua and Barbuda and Dominica, immigrant visas were already suspended by the proclamation, together with B, F, M and J visas. For Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia, the January pause is the first US restriction of 2026 that applies to their nationals, and it reaches immigrant visas only. Visitor visa applications by citizens of those three countries are still processed.
What this means for applicants
A Caribbean passport has never been a route into the United States, and this measure confirms it. US and Canadian citizens who take a second citizenship in the Caribbean are unaffected: their status in the US or Canada rests on their existing citizenship, and the Caribbean passport serves as a contingency and a travel document for other destinations.
The applicants who need to plan are US or Canadian residents on other passports who are pursuing a US immigrant visa, for example through family sponsorship or EB-5 consular processing. Because the dual-national exemption turns on the passport used to apply, an applicant who acquires Caribbean citizenship should continue the US case on the original passport, provided that country is not itself on the list. Adjustment of status inside the United States is a different process from consular visa issuance and should be reviewed with US immigration counsel.
We recommend settling the US filing strategy before adding a second nationality, and choosing between the Caribbean programmes on their own merits. To review how the pause applies to your nationality and plans, book a consultation.