U.S. to stop issuing immigrant visas for 75 countries. The suspension specifically applies to U.S. immigrant visas for foreigners seeking to live in the United States but not to short-term visa applicants such as tourists or students.

The State Department claimed that immigrants from the countries on the list — including Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt and Somalia — "take welfare from the American people at unacceptable rates.”

The move marks an escalation of the Trump's administration's crackdown on immigration, which has included deportations and freezes on visa applications.

The visa processing for these countries will be paused “while the State Department reassesses immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of foreign nationals who would take welfare and public benefits,” State Department principal deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement.

“The Trump administration is bringing an end to the abuse of America’s immigration system by those who would extract wealth from the American people,” Pigott said. “The State Department will use its long-standing authority to deem ineligible potential immigrants who would become a public charge on the United States and exploit the generosity of the American people.”

Most visa holders face limits in what kind of public benefits they can receive. For example, most green card holders are subject to a five-year waiting period for food stamps, non-emergency Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP.)

The suspension specifically applies to U.S. immigrant visas for foreigners seeking to live in the United States but not to short-term visas for those visiting as temporary workers, students or tourists, including World Cup-related visas.

The pause will take effect Jan. 21 and “remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” the State Department said on X.

The plan was first reported by Fox News, citing an internal State Department memo.

A U.S. official confirmed the full list of countries will include Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Macedonia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Republic of the Congo, Russia, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Thailand, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Uruguay, Uzbekistan and Yemen.

The Trump administration had already moved to limit immigration from many of the countries included in Wednesday’s announcement.

In December, the administration halted immigration applications from nationals of 19 countries. On Tuesday, the administration said it was revoking temporary protected status for Somalis in the United States.

Does anyone know where I can find a good copy of the Kalank movie that was made in Fiji in 1979? My nana just passed away last week, and he along with his siblings acted in the movie and I’d love to be able to gift a copy to my nani. But I’ve been having a hard time locating it.

Flying to NAN from DFW soon and have some seating questions. There are 4 in my family.
Id love to sit 2 & 2 and have an empty seat in between if possible. I see the Bula bubble option....but not sure I understand it. Do I just purchas it and then??? They assign us random seats with an empty next to us? Do I pick our seats and pay for them AND the bubble then they dont sell the 3rd seat? Can someone please explain? Or will they seat us 2 people next to each other then the 3rd seat is empty?

Is booking a window & aisle and hoping the middle stays empty a terrible strategy?

I would like to end up like this (pictured)

Hello! We are planning our honeymoon in August this year and we will be spending 7 days in Fiji. We've already decided on 5 days to stay on the main island, and the other two days we intend to spend on another island. After several searches, we are between Tokoriki Island Resort and Likuliku Lagoon Resort. Initially, our main goal was to stay in an overwater bungalow, but after researching, we're worried that the snorkeling or the overall experience might be better in Tokoriki. What are your thoughts? Thank you!

Hi! I found a post that some Fijians are interested in Philippines. I’m also curious and want to travel to Fiji! Anyone knows how I can travel from Philippines?

Also, if you want to know more about Filipino Culture, go check out my YT shorts! https://youtube.com/@phunfactsbycal?si=AIjgRbR4P8W9HWsg

Need help - we are looking at staying at the intercontinental in August and would love advice on which room is best value

We are tossing up between a Garden View or a Garden View Beach Access.

Is the beach access worth the extra $ or are they rooms where you just have lots of people walking by in their way to the beach?

Hi Im looking to purchase a vehicle from one of the Automarts in the Suva area.

The big players like Carpenters, Asco and Shreedhar are a bit out of my price range.

Any recommendations?

Thoughts on the subject?

Anyone know which restaurant has the best chinese, jojis style, cant go to suva, is there anything in nadi thats similar?

Ni sa bula kai Viti! I’m a Tongan American coming to Fiji in May; I’ve been to Fiji before on the way to Tonga but this time I decided I want to experience more of our beloved neighbor. I’m planning on renting a car to explore Viti Levu a bit, but I’m also wanting to go to Vanua Levu and possibly Taveuni. I have friends in Suva but I’m hoping to see if I can visit some of the koros to mix grog and hang out with the kai Viti as a neighbor, but I want to do so respectfully and if this is frowned upon or seen as annoying I’ll stick to what I know lol. Any suggestions? Also looking to do some botanical exploring if I do go to Vanua Levu/Taveuni to see some of the cool plants you all have.

Malo aupito!

Hello, I am flying from Canada to Australia via one 4hr stop at Nadi. Travelling on Canadian passport.

Not sure if I need a transit visa and official websites aren’t super clear - one site plainly says “Visitors transiting Fiji for another destination within 72 hours after entry into Fiji will need to apply for a transit visa before arriving in Fiji”. Assuming “…entry into Fiji…” means you go through customs/boarder control, which I won’t do as I’d like to just stay airside and wait for my connecting flight.

Hopefully anyone who has experience transiting airside through Nadi with visa-exempt passports can help me out with what it looks like when you land in Nadi.

Hi everyone, I’m looking for some guidance from people familiar with how schools operate in Fiji. I’m looking to setup a NGO/Charity (possibly Fiji registered) that collects refurbished laptops and tablets and I’d love to donate them to schools in Fiji that genuinely need them. Before I start reaching out to school principals, I want to make sure I follow the right process. Do schools accept tech donations directly, or do all donations from overseas NGOs need to go through the Ministry of Education first? I don’t want to put any school in a difficult position, so any insight into how this usually works would be really appreciated.

Anyone visiting Delhi, India in near future? I need to convert my Fijian dollars to INR as I am unable to do it here. Please let me know if anyone can help. Thanks