▲ U.S. Visa Issuance
Legal immigration to the United States plummeted early this year due to immigration restriction policies implemented by the Donald Trump administration.
According to the U.S. daily The New York Times (NYT) on the 18th (local time), the number of immigrant visas issued by the State Department in February stood at 26,000, dropping to half of the pre-Trump monthly average of 52,000.
By region, Central Asia suffered the hardest hit with a 99% decrease in legal immigrant visas issued, followed by Africa (89%), Eastern Europe (84%), the Middle East (81%), and Australia and Oceania (73%).
By country, the number of new immigrant visas issued to South Korean nationals fell by 19% from a monthly average of 420 between 2023 and 2024 to 340 this February.
China saw a 31% decrease, while India experienced a 16% drop.
Japan recorded a 25% decline.
The NYT reported that immigration to the U.S. from 91 countries has become impossible, with immigration from Muslim-majority nations plunging particularly by more than 90%.
Conversely, Canada and Mexico, which were exempt from visa restrictions, saw the number of legal immigrant visas issued increase by 142% and 17%, respectively.
The Philippines, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, and Spain were also named among the countries that saw an increase in visa issuance.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, pointed out that the scale of the Trump administration's reduction in legal immigration is the largest since the Herbert Hoover administration (1929–1933) during the Great Depression, excluding the COVID-19 pandemic period.
Non-immigrant visa issuances are also declining together.
Student and worker visas dropped by 30% compared to last year, while tourism and business visas decreased by 25%.
Although India and China were not explicitly designated as targets for entry bans, the issuance of student and employment visas plunged due to new regulations and the creation of new fees, according to the NYT.
Due to such stringent immigration restriction measures by the Trump administration, cases of families being separated are also increasing.
Daniel Brackins, a U.S. citizen, stated that while pursuing legal immigration for his wife, they were caught by the new policies at the final stage, resulting in her visa being denied, and shared that his son was born in Kazakhstan.
He said, "Having to watch my son grow up through video calls has placed our relationship with my wife under extreme stress."
Wilian Nelson Hernandez Morales was stuck after visiting Guatemala while living with his wife and four children in New Jersey.
He entered the U.S. illegally 26 years ago when he was a minor and married a U.S. citizen wife in 2021.
He had attempted to apply for a lawful permanent residency based on this, but as the visa procedures stalled, he has been completely barred from setting foot in the U.S. since January.
Following the designation of 12 countries—including Iran, Yemen, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Libya, Somalia, and Sudan—as entry ban targets late last year, the Trump administration has blocked visa issuance and entry for nationals of a total of 39 countries.
Previously, the administration abolished the existing random lottery system for the selection of H-1B visas, which are professional employment visas.
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