United States: visa freeze for 26 African countries including Senegal

The United States has reached a new milestone in the tightening of its migration policy. As of January 21, the US administration has decided to suspend the processing of permanent immigration visas for 75 countries around the world, including 26 in Africa.

Senegal appears on this list, alongside Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Nigeria, Ghana, Ethiopia and Tunisia. This measure concerns visas allowing people to settle permanently on American soil, particularly in the context of family reunification or long-term life projects.

Unlike tourist visas, this measure concerns so-called “long” visas, which notably allow family reunification or access to employment on American territory. According to Washington, this suspension aims to give the authorities time to thoroughly review the entire process of granting these residence permits.

In a press release dated January 7, the United States Department of State said that nationals of the countries concerned, already settled in the United States, receive social assistance at “unacceptable levels”.

For Donald Trump, immigrants must now be “financially independent” and not “constitute a burden on Americans”. The administration has therefore launched a complete review of the Immigration and Nationality Act, the text which governs the rules for obtaining immigration visas.