The United States has paused all immigration applications from 19 countries, but Pakistan is not among them, according to a report published by The New York Times.
The list includes several Asian, African and Latin American states, but Pakistan does not include the list.
The countries affected by the freeze include Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Libya, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Somalia, Myanmar, Laos, Chad, Sierra Leone, Togo, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo, Burundi, Cuba, Haiti and Venezuela.
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According to the report, the halted applications cover all major immigration categories, including Green Card requests and U.S. citizenship applications.
Officials said the move impacts thousands of people whose cases were close to final approval.
The report further states that the suspension applies to citizens of countries that were already under restrictions imposed by the Trump administration earlier this year.
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Those restrictions had blocked individuals from securing immigration status through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
USCIS confirmed that all final decisions on immigration cases from these 19 countries have been paused until further notice.
This includes applicants who were only steps away from becoming American citizens.
The decision follows a recent incident involving an Afghan national who opened fire near the White House, killing two National Guard members.
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After the attack, U.S. authorities temporarily stopped issuing visas to individuals traveling on Afghan passports and also halted decisions on all asylum requests linked to Afghanistan.
The latest suspension, now expanded to a total of 19 nations, reflects heightened security measures, but Pakistan remains unaffected by these new rules.
