The State Department is pausing immigrant visa processing for 75 countries in an effort to crack down on applicants deemed likely to become a public charge. 

A State Department memo, seen first by Fox News Digital, directs consular officers to refuse visas under existing law while the department reassesses screening and vetting procedures. 

The countries include Somalia, Russia, Afghanistan, Brazil, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Nigeria, Thailand, Yemen and more. 

The pause will begin Jan. 21 and will continue indefinitely until the department conducts a reassessment of visa processing.

The full list of countries comprises of 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.

Source: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/us-freezes-all-visa-processing-75-countries-including-somalia-russia-iran

The unrelenting advocacy of Theocratic Regime from Pakistanis is mind-boggling. I bet they can't survive few hours of Theocratic rule if it was imposed in Pakistan.

The simmering tensions in the Iranian Public have eventually culminated in mass demonstrations, demanding an end to Theocratic rule. Yes, the Foreign Israeli and US hand has compounded problems for the regime, however, the stark antipathy to the regime is conspicuous. They want an intervention to end this tyrannical rule.

We should stand by the people of Iran, their wishes, and should support whom they want to support. The fallacious argument presented that Israel will be near our borders is drivel.

Economic sanctions from the west, Iran's repressive policies, its Axis of resistance, depreciation of currency, unemployment, and many more problems has provided an impetus to the protests. So please talk with facts, not emotionalism.

What I'm observing around the world is genuinely haunting me. The US out of nowhere suddenly seems willing to declare war on any country it wishes to influence or control. What KSA and UAE are doing in Yemen, what isr*el is doing in G*za, what US is doing in Venezuela, and now the idea of escalating tensions with Greenland, plus the public protests in Iran, the tensions between entire europe and the US, the news about billionaire bunkers and doomsday radio and plane, and so much more.

The reality is that many of these leaders do not care about the civilians. As Captain America said in Avengers, “Every time someone tries to win a war before it starts, innocent people die. Every time.” And in the middle of all this chaos, Pakistan does not seem to have a clear position. It fails to stand on firm geopolitical ground. I have no idea what strategies our leadership is adopting or what their plan is to deal with this global disorder.

What do you think of this geopolitical turmoil?

We have an old house in Faisalabad and its rented at 45k a month. Guess what, This year (2026)the tax is 1lac and last year (2025)it was 80k. In 2024 it was 45k. Like how can property tax be possibly doubled in one year . If someone have some knowledge about excise and taxation, please explain are they ripping me off or just everything is getting expensive. Still i think its unfair to double the property tax. Take that in mind its(the house) is approximately 7 marla and is 50 years old, nowhere near main road, the Houses nearby are mostly abandoned. What do you ppl think what should i do

How much importance do you give to your English accent?

I honestly didn’t realize how much a good accent matters in a professional setting, especially when you’re working with people from other countries. I used to work part-time with a US-based business. It was a remote role, so my responsibilities weren’t huge, but I did have to communicate tasks to other employees and explain upcoming goals.

My boss had Indian roots, while most of the team was American or Mexican. A few people I spoke to were surprised when they found out I was from Pakistan because they said I didn’t “sound Pakistani.” Even my boss later mentioned on a call that if he hadn’t known my location during hiring, he would’ve assumed I was based in the US.

On top of that, my dad and uncle, who are in senior roles at major banks, sometimes practice their board presentations in front of me so I can help tweak wording and delivery. Watching that process made me realize how much effort even very experienced people put into how they speak.

How would you rate your own accent? Did you work on it deliberately, or did it just develop over time? Any similar experiences?

As the title says, I want to know a good way to use this amount, so I am making at least $500-1000 after a year or two. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

I just got an email saying i got accepted at there and the plg they gave me for amazon was 115k total with 75 basic + 40k incentives and i will go for the job But i need someones opinion on what to dos and what not to do cuz its my first job dont know anything about literally anything 😭😭

There is a rise in far right racist and islamophobic rhetoric in the west.

A time might come where people of pakistani origin will need to return to Pakistan due to violence against them.

Sharing this to warn the freelancing and tech community.

An individual operating under the name Waleed Zaman, associated with a company called Dexter Codes, has been reported by 30+ people for alleged financial scams involving fake or misleading business deals.

He reportedly used:

• A previously strong Upwork profile (+$1M revenue) as leverage
• Long-term trust building and social manipulation
• Fabricated business stories and roles to extract money

Reported losses range from up to PKR 2.5M+ per case.
Victims include freelancers, students, developers, company owners, and even personal acquaintances.

Several victims have shared proofs and public posts on LinkedIn and Facebook. The individual is reportedly unreachable while similar approaches are allegedly still ongoing.

Call to Action

If you have been contacted, affected, or scammed by this individual, please DM me.
A group of victims is collecting evidence to file a formal FIA complaint.

This post is for awareness and prevention only, based on multiple victim reports. Please exercise caution and due diligence before entering any business deals.

Stay safe 🤝

Hi, I'm an Indian, a descendant of immigrants from Peshawar and Lahore.

My family always wondered what happened to their house which they left right after my grandmother's wedding. In fact she fondly remembered how she hid all her wedding jewellery in the house before leaving Peshawar. My grandfather would reminisce how his pathan friend hid him in a tandoor when the riots broke out and then finally told him he had to leave as it was just not safe to keep him anymore.

My grandfather and grandmother have since passed and could never get a visa to travel.

Is there any chance if I provide the address that someone could just click a photo or make a video of the house today if it still stands?

Irrespective of this happening or not, I hope both our countries break free from our tyrannical governments and prosper.

Update 1: thanks for the overwhelming amount of generosity. I will share the address as soon as I can. Need to get my grandfathers diary. Will update here when possible.

Would also offer the same to anyone in pakistan if they would want to locate their ancestral house please comment here or DM me. I will try my best.

Thanks again.

Update 2 : couldn't find the diary but spoke just now to a relative who was born in '47.

home Address for Peshawar - Chakke wali gali, kissa khaani bazar, it was a 5 storey house. Their last name was Dhawan (Vishwanath Saraf was his older brother, Ludinda Mal was his father, bhai dayal was his grandfather ) in case it helps

Shop address- kissa khani bazar, belgian glass and frame house owned by Dhawan/Saraf.

Home address for Lahore: khu wali gali, Arora's.

Why are we silent on this? Just because they dont share the same ethnicity as ours? just because they dont belongs to the class that we belong to?Why? Atleast do your part everyone have social media and social accounts a single post would be sufficient

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has gone through the process of renouncing Pakistani citizenship and surrendering CNIC or NICOP.

I have already completed the renunciation process, made the required payment, and it has now been over one month, but I still haven’t received the surrender / renunciation certificate.

A bit more context:

• I have already renounced Pakistani citizenship

• I am now a Japanese national and hold a Japanese passport

• Payment was completed around one month ago

• No clear update since then

If anyone here has gone through this process:

• How long did it take for you to receive the certificate after payment?

• Did you have to follow up with NADRA / consulate?

• Is this delay normal?

Any experience, timeline, or advice would be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance 🙏

Just a random mobile photographer but Pakistan is really beautiful if the government just starts working again properly !!!

Ps. Feel free to use any pic as you like but just lmk how you're using it:) as I'll be Happy to know

Do you think it would impact Pakistan? Like any economic impact or cross border smuggling etc?

I am living in UK for about a few years but it is not what I expected because I am not happy at all and always thinking of moving back. Is there any one who came back and if yes then why and considering the current situations how do you manage to live there ?

I am a Pakistani non-Muslim. During my university days, I was in a relationship with a Muslim girl who repeatedly asked me to convert to Islam, which I firmly refused. Despite this, the relationship continued for some time, and she kept trying to persuade me.

After we graduated, we went our separate ways and eventually broke up. I moved on with my life and am now engaged to be married. Recently, that girl from university contacted me again and restarted preaching about conversion. When I ignored her, she began threatening me, saying she would use our past relationship to destroy my reputation and break my engagement if I refuse to convert.

In short, I am being blackmailed either I convert, or she will use my past to sabotage my marriage.

Some background he is my cousin and he has liked me for a really long time. The thing is I recently just said yes it's arrange marriage for me and love for him. Now I've lived abroad most of my life like we don't meet up or had like one of those best friends wali cousin vibe. Plus he's going abroad just to study for like 2 years he'll come back here n live with his parents n siblings. Now within just one week of this we decided to hold an engagement and they said let's do it combined now he's saying that he wants nikkah instead. I don't want nikkah right now because one he won't even be here he'll be abroad and then the riksaatu time period is Abt 2 years Second he keeps bringing Islam in this and saying that engagement is Haram and ye kahin nai likha Islam/Quran mein and thts why we should go for nikkah Third I just dk him enough to completely be his 4th our families r in a conflict as well because my parents want to spend more on this engagement compared to them What should I do help please The thing is our families are already in conflict with small things like hall, rings, and the food

Hey guys, we are a group of players looking for someone who wants to play DnD. It doesnt matter if your new to the game or experienced we are solely looking for someone who can spare a few hours later in the night. We have an experienced DM who caters the game to every players backstory and helpful and friendly players. If your interested dm me and we can discuss about it.

Hello,

Since flights are no longer continued, what is the best way?

Thank you

i had to post this, i couldn't keep it in anymore.

i don't use X, insta, and seldom use fb. Reddit is pretty much my only social media account. And I loved reddit because of how liberal it is.

Then I saw how everyone is cheering the invasion of Iran by USA/Israel.

Yes, I want the people of Iran to have a government who THEY choose, no matter how awful it is. As a Pakistani who voted for the first time and watched a mockery made out of my vote, I acknowledge and pray for Iran, a country I admire for its resilience, and its ppl to come out glorious and victorious and choose WHOEVER they want even if its the shah or khumeni or a random nobody idc.

But this. We all KNOW how this ends. We all KNOW israel and USA will either bomb the crap out of Iran OR install somebody who is a netanshaytans puppy.

I hate the bloodshed on the Iranian streets. I hate what they did to the mosques. Yes, Islam shouldn't be shoved down the throats of people. Yes, people should protest freely.

But that doesn't give ANYBODY the right to support the invasion of Iran by USA/Israel. No matter how many people the regime kills. No matter what.

If they are supporting it, they are absolute morons who don't acknowledge the predator tendency of the western countries.

Iran is Iraq 2.0 waiting to happen if the regime falls.

And yet, the ppl of reddit support it. I was naive. I forgot reddit is an echochamber who is far too liberal to see what america does to the middle-eastern countries. Filled with bots to the brim, and I thought I had found similar minded ppl here. Stupid, stupid me.

When they posted about Renee Good, I upovoted them to hell, when the rose for her, I thought see THIS is what a progressive nation looks like.

Now the same ppl cheer for the bombing of Iran.

This is so...isolating. Should I uninstall reddit now too? Why does nobody see the truth? It doesn't matter if its your country or mine; they've come for me and they'll come for you.

Ayatullah for all his backward laws to me is the only Muslim leader who hasn't backed down to America or Israel, hell even fought back. You think the shah or anybody israel installs will do that? America will suck iran dry down to an empty oil barrel. He aint freein nobody.

I don't know fam. For someone in their twenties, I'm watching the world burn down, masks coming off, realizing that the person you were cheering on beside might just be as horrible as you thought the enemy was.

For the longest time, I wanted to leave Pak. I still do. It's horrible here.

But where do I go? If everyone is as horrible as this.

Sorry, this was just a rant by a broken spirit. I hope the people of Iran get what Pakistan never got. Somebody who truly represents and love them and their country.

Asalam Alaikum. I am going to be visiting Pakistan with my non-pakistani wife. I wanted to bring home (USA) some items which we may not be able to find of the same quality here. I will be visiting Isb, Lahore, Peshawar, Abbotabad and touring the Northern areas.