ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Trump administration’s decision to pause Visa processing for immigrants from 75-countries is already having an impact on Central Florida.
The pause doesn’t begin until Wednesday January 21st, but the move is already forcing some who had been working on a move to Central Florida to change their plans.
The State Department said it is reassessing immigration processing procedures to prevent the entry of people who they say would “take welfare and public benefits.”
Among the 75 countries listed as part of the pause are Afghanistan, Somalia, Cuba, Haiti, and Brazil.
Census Data shows Florida is home to more than 160,000 Brazilians, the largest Brazilian population of any state in the U.S., with a large concentration of that population located in Central Florida.
Rodrigo Branco, a realtor and influencer based in Central Florida, highlighted the immediate effects of the visa pause.
He has more than 2.6 million followers on social media, many of whom are Brazilian-Americans residing in the U.S., or Brazilians with aspirations to immigrate.
He noted that several clients who were close to finalizing home purchases have now withdrawn from their deals due to uncertainty prompted by the Department of State’s announcement, “They got scared with the future so they said no, let’s hold the deal,” Branco explained.
Immigration attorney Frank Symphorien-Saavedra told Channel 9 he is currently experiencing an overwhelming number of inquiries from clients concerned about the new visa processing pause.
“It’s a challenge because so far we have very minimal information from the Department of State,” he said, emphasizing the uncertainty surrounding the situation.
“We’re readjusting plans for people from Brazil, people from Venezuela… I mean really all over the world that are being affected by this,” said Symphorien-Saavedra.
The pause affects those seeking employment visas including those who are investing in businesses in the U.S., and those who are being sponsored by their employer.
It also impacts immigrants seeking to reunite with loved ones living in the U.S.
A statement posted to the Department of State website explains the decision saying, “President Trump has made clear that immigrants must be financially self-sufficient and not be a financial burden to Americans. The Department of State is undergoing a full review of all policies, regulations, and guidance to ensure that immigrants from these high-risk countries do not utilize welfare in the United States or become a public charge.”
The duration of the visa processing pause remains unclear and the Department of State has not provided a specific timeline for when its policy review will conclude.
The uncertainty has created challenges for some who have waited months or even years to advance through the process.
“If you were issued an immigrant visa, my advice is to try to get here immediately,” said Symphorien-Saavedra, “If you don’t have that immigrant visa issued already, then unfortunately we’re going to have to wait and see.”
See the full list of impacted countries below:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belize, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burma, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Dominica, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Fiji, The 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
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