08/25/2026
1. What happened
A federal judge in New York ruled that the Trump administration’s ban on issuing immigrant visas to citizens of 75 countries was illegal. The policy discriminated based solely on nationality, which violates the Immigration and Nationality Act.
2. What the ban actually did
The State Department stopped issuing immigrant visas (green-card visas) to people from those 75 countries — even if a consular officer had already determined the applicant was likely to be self-sufficient and not need public assistance.
3. Who it affects
Only people seeking immigrant visas (family-based or employment-based permanent residence) from the 75 listed countries. It does not apply to temporary visas (tourist, student, H-1B, L-1, etc.) or to applicants from other countries.
4. What the court ordered
The judge vacated (canceled) the ban and set aside any visa denials that were based only on the nationality policy. Cases must now return to normal, individual, case-by-case review.
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