Isaford Immigration wishes to provide an urgent update to all our clients applying for immigrant visas to the United States.
On 14 January 2026, the US State Department announced that it was pausing the issuance of visas to citizens of 75 countries including Cambodia from 21 January 2026.
This means that the US will pause issuing all immigrant visas for Cambodian nationals.
This halt is targeted at countries whose citizens who most often or who are considered most likely to be a public charge or those most likely to ‘consume US welfare or pubic benefits’.
The pause will be in place while the US finalizes its new ‘Public Charge’ policy. Please note that this does not affect people who already have visa interviews scheduled.
Read the Official US State Department Circular sent to Embassies Worldwide.
Read the News on Visa Pause: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-suspend-visa-processing-75-nations-next-week-fox-news-reports-2026-01-14/
Isaford Immigration is in discussions with our US immigration partners and legal teams to assess the impact of this halt in immigrant visa issuance for Cambodian citizens.
This pause does not apply to non-immigrant visas i.e. visitor and student visas.
While we understand this news will be disappointing for our clients, we do request patience at this time. The term ‘pause’ does not mean it is a permanent change and we expect immigrant visas to be issued again when the new Public Charge policy has been implemented.
We will provide regular updates based on our monitoring of this situation as more information becomes clear.
We do urge all clients to be careful about the news you read and contact us if you have any questions.
