By Reuters November 30, 2025, 11:00:33 AM IST (Published)
The Trump administration has ordered U.S. diplomats worldwide to stop processing visas for Afghan nationals, according to a State Department cable seen by Reuters, effectively suspending special immigration programs for Afghans who assisted the United States during its two-decade presence in the country.
The cable, sent to all U.S. diplomatic posts on Friday, November 28, directs consular officers to reject any immigrant or non-immigrant visa applications from Afghan nationals, including applicants for Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs), effective immediately.
The directive follows an incident on Wednesday in which a former member of a CIA-backed Afghan unit was accused of shooting two U.S. National Guard soldiers in Washington, D.C.; one later died.
The State Department pointed Reuters to a statement on platform X by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said on Friday that “ALL individuals” traveling on Afghan passports would have their visa issuance “paused.”
The cable, earlier reported by the New York Times, says the halt aims to “ensure the applicant’s identity and eligibility for a visa under U.S. law.” A volunteer group supporting U.S. Afghan allies said the cable is part of an effort by the administration to prevent Afghans from entering the United States. “There is no doubt this is the outcome they have been driving toward for months,” Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac, said by email.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Appointments already scheduled for Afghan applicants will not be canceled; however, when those appointments occur, consular officers are instructed to refuse visa issuance. The cable directs that any authorized visas not yet printed be reversed and canceled, and that printed visas be destroyed and the cases amended and rejected in the system.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had earlier this week already halted processing of Afghan nationals’ immigration requests indefinitely.
VanDiver previously told Reuters that about 200,000 Afghans had entered the United States through refugee and special visa programs through 2021. He said applications were still pending for roughly 265,000 Afghans outside the United States, including about 180,000 in the SIV pipeline for those who worked for the U.S. government.
Since returning to office in January, President Trump has prioritized immigration enforcement, deploying federal agents to major cities and restricting asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border. The flurry of measures announced since the Washington attack indicates an intensified focus by his administration on limiting legal immigration.
