Key facts
- The U.S. is imposing visa restrictions on foreign nationals in South Africa.
- The policy targets individuals responsible for or complicit in laws enabling uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, or incitement of violence against minority groups.
- South Africa is not among the 75 countries facing broader U.S. visa suspensions.
- The visa suspension is intended to prevent immigrants from extracting wealth from the U.S.
The U.S. government has announced a new visa restriction policy targeting specific foreign nationals in South Africa, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The policy aims to penalize individuals responsible for or complicit in laws that facilitate uncompensated land seizures, race-based discrimination, or the incitement of violence against minority ethnic or racial groups within South Africa.
Rubio stated that the policy was announced on Tuesday. This development comes as South Africa is not included on a broader list of 75 countries facing visa suspensions to the United States. Guidance suggests that the suspension for those 75 countries would not apply to applicants seeking non-immigrant visas, such as temporary tourist or business visas. The State Department indicated the freeze is to ensure new immigrants do not extract wealth from the U.S. and impacts countries whose immigrants often become public charges, citing Somalia, Iran, Haiti, and Eritrea as examples. The Trump administration's "America First" policy was also mentioned in relation to these restrictions.