When immigration policies shift abruptly, proactive, well-informed planning becomes critical for investors, families, and global businesses. Recent U.S. action to suspend immigrant visas for 75 countries underscores how fast the rules can change – and why expert immigration counsel matters more than ever.
What changed in U.S. immigration policy
The U.S. State Department has announced that it will halt the processing and issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, citing concerns that applicants from these jurisdictions may rely on public assistance at “unacceptable” levels.
This suspension, scheduled to take effect from January 21, affects applicants for permanent residence (immigrant visas), while non-immigrant categories such as short-term tourist or business visas are not covered by the current measure.
The pause will “remain active until the U.S. can ensure that new immigrants will not extract wealth from the American people,” according to the State Department.
Which Countries Are Affected?
Among the 75 affected countries are key emerging markets and popular migration hubs, including Thailand and several nations in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean.
The announcement follows a series of prior restrictions and heightened vetting policies, forming part of a broader tightening of the U.S.’ immigration framework.
Potential impact on investment immigration
This suspension potentially carries significant implications for investment immigration immigration strategies that rely on U.S. permanent residence as an endpoint.
For Individual Investors
Investors and professionals from affected countries who had planned to transition from temporary to permanent status in the U.S. may now face:
- Prolonged uncertainty
- Significant delays
- The need to redesign their long-term migration plans
For Global Companies
For global companies, the new policy adds complexity to workforce mobility planning when senior staff or key personnel hold passports from targeted jurisdictions.
In practice, multinational employers must now consider alternative structures – such as regional headquarters outside the U.S., or assignments routed through jurisdictions with more predictable immigration policies – to maintain operational continuity.
Impact on the Caribbean CBI Programs
All Five Caribbean CBI Programs Affected
The suspension covers multiple Caribbean countries that operate citizenship-by-investment (CBI) programs:
Intact Value Proposition
It’s important to note that the measure does not cancel these countries’ CBI programs, nor does it impact their value proposition – after all, most clients pursue a secondary citizenship in the Caribbean not for visa-free travel but as a long-term strategic asset, commonly for tax planning purposes, long-term mobility, security, and optionality.
Potential Procedural Steps
Recent discussions by the European Union on imposing visa requirements on CBI countries are also unlikely to affect the demand for Caribbean CBI, as the measure – far from being punitive or equivalent to a travel ban – would simply introduce a procedural step by requiring Caribbean passport holders to apply for a visa, which can now be done electronically for most countries.
With platforms now fully streamlined, including in the U.S. and Canada, the vast majority of visa applicants should not face any issues in obtaining visas.
Valuable Opportunity
This shift presents Caribbean countries with a valuable opportunity. They’ve already implemented a host of best practices that reinforce their passport issuance process and align it with international standards.
All major Caribbean CBI jurisdictions have passed legislation to create a regional regulator, with the official target for the authority’s launch set for April 2026 (though market consensus points to a more realistic implementation date around June 2026).
The regulator, based in Grenada, will be responsible for:
- Coordinating cross-border enforcement
- Setting minimum regional standards on due diligence, processing, and marketing
- Supervising and monitoring national CBI units
National citizenship units in each country will continue processing applications and interacting with agents and developers – but under harmonised legislation and with mandatory reporting of any breaches to the regional authority.
These changes may help preserve, restore, or enhance visa-free access in the future.
Other Stable Pathways and Jurisdictions
The current U.S. stance does not close the door on international immigration; rather, it elevates the need to structure cross-border residence and citizenship strategies around jurisdictions with stable, transparent immigration policies.
Several categories of options typically remain largely unaffected by this specific U.S. immigrant-visa suspension:
EU Residence-by-Investment and Talent Routes
Many European Union member states offer residence pathways based on investment, entrepreneurship, or specialised skills under harmonised EU and national rules, and these programs are governed independently of U.S. visa decisions. Careful program selection can optimize Schengen mobility, education access, and long-term security, such as the Netherlands Startup Visa or Portugal Golden Visa, among others.
Common Law Jurisdictions with Predictable Frameworks
Countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and certain Asia-Pacific jurisdictions maintain mature, rules-based immigration systems with clear business, entrepreneur, and skilled-worker pathways that are not directly impacted by U.S. decisions on immigrant visas. For globally mobile families, these destinations often combine lifestyle, education, and business advantages with relatively robust policy continuity.
Diversified Citizenship and Residence Portfolios
Sophisticated investors increasingly pursue a portfolio approach: combining one or more citizenships with multiple residencies to manage geopolitical, tax, and mobility risk – rather than choosing a single element to anchor a global mobility strategy.
In each case, the design of a compliant, future-proof structure requires detailed analysis of current law, treaty networks, tax interaction, and each client’s family and corporate profile.
Engaging experienced counsel ensures that when immigration policies shift, your mobility and investment plans remain resilient, flexible, and aligned with long-term goals.
Why expert legal guidance is crucial now
This evolving environment underscores the importance of specialised immigration and investment immigration counsel. Policy shifts of this scale can change risk profiles overnight, and high-net-worth individuals and globally mobile professionals need advisers who continuously monitor regulatory developments across multiple jurisdictions.
What Experienced Immigration Lawyers Provide
- Analyse how U.S. immigrant visa suspensions interact with existing residence-by-investment or citizenship-by-investment strategies, and identify where plans should be adapted or diversified.
- Map out jurisdiction-specific risks (for example, exposure to changing U.S. or EU policies) versus more stable alternatives, so that clients are not over-concentrated in one region or framework.
Business Immigration Redesign
For business immigration, legal guidance helps multinational employers redesign mobility models that remain compliant while still meeting commercial objectives.
This may include optimised use of short-term visas, intra-company transfers, remote-first arrangements, or alternative destination hubs with more predictable immigration policies.
How Harvey Law Group Can Help
Harvey Law Group, the world’s leading business immigration law firm, has more than 20 offices globally and over 30 years of extensive experience and expertise in Citizenship and Residency by Investment programs.
The firm’s global practice guides clients through program selection, project due diligence, application preparation, and compliance with evolving regional and national rules, blending global expertise with local insights to provide unparalleled legal counsel and empower our clients to stay at the forefront of their industries.
In the face of a dynamic and intricate regulatory landscape, HLG embraces change and delivers tangible outcomes for our clients worldwide.
