Did the U.S. Immigrant Visa Pause Just Expanded to Include Chinese Applicants?

Recently, an unexpected situation occurred on USTravelDocs.  A notice will appear when users log on as such:

Link to USTravelDocs:

https://www.ustraveldocs.com/cn/en/immigrant-visa

According to the information displayed on the notice, China is included in the Department of State's pause of immigrant visa issuances effective January 21, 2026. The notice gives a brief description of the Department of State's pause and provides a link to the official list of countries affected by the pause.

Clicking on the link in the notice will take you to the U.S. Department of State website hosting the Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of U.S. Public Benefits Reliance. The update is the recent directive pausing immigrant visa issuance to nationals of 75 different countries that pose a high risk of "unlawfully utilizing welfare in the United States" or becoming "a public charge." However, the official list of countries on the Department of State website does not include China, after the list was last updated on February 2, 2026. This constitutes a material contradiction between the official list and the notice.

Link to the official Department of State list:

Immigrant Visa Processing Updates for Nationalities at High Risk of U.S. Public Benefits Reliance

Understandably, confusion and panic began to spread within online Chinese communities, and news of the "U.S. pausing immigrant visa issuance for Chinese nationals" started to circulate.

It is rather difficult to verify the validity of the notice, as it is in material contradiction with the official update hosted by the U.S. Department of State. As of February 11, 2026, the update on the Department of State website remains unchanged and does not include China as one of the countries affected by the immigrant visa pause.

As such, considering the information available, it is likely that the notice displayed on USTravelDocs is a technical mistake or maintenance error rather than a change in official policy or an amendment to the official list provided by the Department of State. Legal professionals are inclined to agree that the notice on USTravelDocs does not reflect official policy in the absence of material changes to the list.

Globevisa will continue to monitor the situation and provide follow-up reports on any future developments.