Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil to feel the heat of Trump’s visa crackdown

Visa entry gets difficult for 75 countries

• US halts immigrant visas to 75 countries, affecting 43.5% of recent issuances
• Pakistan, Bangladesh, Brazil hit hardest by new restrictions
• Bangladesh and Brazil saw sharp rises in visa issuances before the policy change

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The United States’ decision to halt immigrant visa issuances to 75 countries is set to disrupt a substantial share of global migration flows, with Pakistan, Bangladesh and Brazil emerging among the most exposed. Data show that nationals from the 75 affected countries accounted for more than two-fifths of all US immigrant visas issued in the first five months of 2025, underlining the scale of the policy shock.

Between January and May 2025, US authorities issued 251,864 immigrant visas. Of these, 109,499, or 43.5 percent, were granted to nationals from the 75 countries that now face restrictions. The move therefore targets not a marginal segment, but a large and active portion of the US immigration pipeline.

Pakistan tops the list in absolute terms. It accounted for 9,235 immigrant visas in the first five months of 2025, making it the single largest source country among those now restricted. Although this represented a 20 percent decline compared with the same period in 2024, Pakistan’s scale of migration to the US means the impact of the crackdown will be felt immediately and sharply.

Bangladesh stands out for a different reason. Immigrant visa issuances to Bangladeshi nationals surged 47 percent year-on-year to 8,116 during the period, up from 5,522 a year earlier. Bangladesh was among 31 of the 75 restricted countries that actually saw an increase in issuances in 2025, pointing to strong underlying migration demand. The new restrictions are therefore likely to interrupt a rapidly expanding migration channel rather than one already in retreat.

Brazil has also seen strong momentum. Immigrant visas issued to Brazilians rose 27 percent from a year earlier to 3,211 in the first five months of 2025, continuing an upward trend that had been building over the past few years. With Brazil now included in the restricted list, the policy risks cutting short a phase of accelerating approvals.

Other countries show more mixed patterns. Russia, for instance, is also affected by the ban, but its immigrant visa numbers had already been falling, with issuances down nearly 9 percent in 2025. Several African and Middle Eastern countries, including Yemen and Sudan, recorded some of the steepest percentage increases in visa issuances before the restrictions were announced, suggesting pent-up migration pressures that may now go unmet.

In South Asia and East Asia, countries such as Nepal, Afghanistan, Cambodia and Thailand are also among those impacted, adding to the geographic breadth of the policy.

Countries such as Pakistan face a shock because of the sheer scale of migration involved, while Bangladesh and Brazil risk losing momentum just as migration flows were gaining pace.