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New York: A US federal court judge has lifted the government’s ban on issuing visas to citizens of 75 countries, including Pakistan, who want to settle in the US permanently. The decision is being described as a setback for President Donald Trump’s immigration policies.

In a ruling issued in the Southern District of New York court, Judge Janet Vargas declared the policy unconstitutional and said that Secretary of State Marco Rubio exceeded his legal authority by implementing it.

Under this policy, which took effect in January, processing of immigrant visa applications from citizens of 75 countries was suspended. These countries included Pakistan, Afghanistan, Brazil, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Nigeria, Somalia, Thailand and Yemen.

(Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, Cuba, Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Jamaica, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Kyrgyz Republic, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Morocco, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North Macedonia, 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 are included.)

At the time, the US State Department said that the decision was made to ensure that immigrants from high-risk countries do not illegally use welfare benefits in the US or become a burden on public resources.

Judge Vargas ruled that it was improper to order consular officers to deny immigrant visas based solely on the applicant’s country of birth, regardless of the applicant’s other circumstances. The ruling invalidates all visa denials based solely on this policy.

The U.S. government may appeal the ruling. Trump promised to deport millions of illegal immigrants during his presidential campaign and has taken several steps since returning to the White House to speed up the deportation process and reduce border traffic.

The U.S. State Department has suspended the issuance of visas to immigrant visa applicants from countries that have been barred from issuing visas since January 21, 2026. The list of countries is given below.