Colombia is one of the countries hardest hit by the United States’ decision to make the issuance of immigrant visas more difficult. Since January of this year, thousands of Colombians have been unable to move forward with their applications for permanent residency, in a measure that has frozen ongoing processes and left entire families in uncertainty.
This restrictive policy, ordered by the government of Donald Trump, affects all countries unevenly but broadly and represents a drastic shift from the migration policies of the Biden administration. Under the argument of preventing migrants from becoming a burden on the state, Washington has rejected a greater number of applications compared to previous years.
The immediate result has been a greater backlog of applications that, in many cases, had been in process for many months, with significant impacts on thousands of foreigners.
Colombia among countries hit hardest by tougher US visa rules
According to data published by the State Department and reported by The Washington Post, between January and August 2025—that is, during the first eight months of the start of Donald Trump’s second term—there was an 11% reduction in the issuance of temporary or residency visas compared to the same period the previous year. This amounts to 250,000 fewer visas.
The impact in Colombia is profound, as the measure affects visas for family reunification, employment, investment, and special programs, leaving thousands of people without a path forward as they sought to establish themselves legally in the United States.
The migration relationship between the two countries explains why Colombia ranks among the most affected. The United States has historically been one of the main destinations for Colombians, both for economic and family reasons. Every year, tens of thousands of applications are processed from the country, making any restriction a direct blow to a large community.
The figures reflect that dependence. Before the change in migration criteria, Colombia consistently ranked among the Latin American countries with the highest number of visas granted, both immigrant and non-immigrant. In family reunification processes alone, thousands of cases were underway at the time of the decision, many of them with appointments already scheduled at consulates.
The measure not only affects those who were just beginning the process. It also reaches applicants who had already been approved or were in the final stages. In practice, this means that even those who had met all the requirements were left on indefinite hold, with no clarity on when they will be able to resume their path.
Uneven impact by country
This reduction has not affected all applicant countries equally. Globally, the list is led by Afghanistan (with a 62% reduction in visa issuance) and Sierra Leone (with 56% fewer).
In the Americas, except for Guatemala—where there was a 16% increase—the remaining 33 countries on the continent recorded declines. Among the hardest hit are cases such as Cuba, with a 56% reduction; Venezuela (41%); Suriname (41%); and Paraguay (38%).
Colombia (with 26%) ranks fifth among the countries with the largest reductions in the Western Hemisphere, followed by Uruguay (23%); Argentina (22%); Panama (17%); Chile (16%); Peru (16%); Nicaragua (14%); and Bolivia (14%).
Better outcomes were seen in Canada (with a reduction of just 2%) and Mexico (with 1% fewer visas issued for its citizens).
Among those most affected by this restrictive visa policy are international students, who have traditionally sought opportunities in the United States to further their studies or undertake internships at prestigious research centers. This group received 30% fewer visas in the first eight months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
According to migration experts, this is partly influenced by the tightening of requirements, but also by the review of content posted on social media by visa applicants.
Family reunification visas also decline
A second group, beyond students, includes visas requested for family reunification. Visas in this category—which require that a member of the family unit already resides legally in the United States and affect adult children and siblings of U.S. citizens—recorded a reduction of more than 44,000 cases, or about 27% fewer.
Visas for partners and spouses of U.S. citizens also saw a significant drop in 2025, with around 18,000 fewer approvals than in 2024.
On the other hand, permanent residencies for immediate relatives—such as spouses, minor children, and parents of U.S. citizens—grew by about 6%.
Beyond students and families, the decline extends to other categories. Visas for maritime and airline workers fell by more than 30,000, and diplomatic visas by more than 13,000.
Employment visas—key for highly skilled professionals—also declined, although more moderately, with 7,400 fewer cases.
There was also a sharp cut in special immigration programs, such as those for citizens of Iraq and Afghanistan who collaborated with the United States. In this group, the drop exceeds 15,000 visas, reflecting a tightening in an area linked to commitments assumed by Washington in conflict contexts.
In contrast, only two categories grew: visas for temporary workers, with a slight increase to just over 4,000, and residencies for some immediate relatives, which also recorded gains.