Key takeaways

• Nepal is included in a U.S. immigrant visa processing pause list.
• The change mainly affects people trying to move permanently, not a blanket tourist ban.
• Nepalis with family-based or other immigrant visa cases may face delays.
• The start date being reported is Jan 21, 2026, with no end date announced.

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The United States has announced a new suspension that will block visa processing for applicants from 75 countries, and Nepal is included on the list shared in reports tied to a State Department memo.

This is not being described consistently across outlets. Reuters reports a broader “visa processing” pause, while the Associated Press report carried by PBS says the suspension targets immigrant visa processing (people seeking to move to the U.S. permanently), not tourist or business visas.

The pause is expected to begin Jan 21, 2026, and the State Department has not given a clear end date in public reporting so far.

For Nepalis, the biggest impact is likely on people applying from Nepal for pathways that end in a green card, such as family sponsorship immigrant visas, employment-based immigrant visas, and diversity visa-style immigrant processing, depending on how the final guidance is applied at U.S. embassies.

If the policy is enforced as an immigrant-visa-only suspension, Nepalis seeking tourist (B1/B2) or other short-term visas may still be able to apply, but should expect tougher checks and delays because consular posts may slow down while rules are reviewed.

U.S. officials have tied the move to stricter screening and concerns about applicants becoming a “public charge,” meaning someone expected to rely on U.S. government assistance.

What happens next is simple but painful: Nepali applicants will need to watch for embassy-level updates, because real-world impact depends on whether the suspension is applied to all visa types or only immigrant visas, and which exceptions (if any) are allowed.