By Imran Nasir 

Islamabad/Bangkok — Pakistan and Thailand have sought explanations from the United States after Washington temporarily suspended the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries, raising questions about the scope and rationale of the move.

In Islamabad, Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tahir Andarabi said authorities had taken note of brief statements issued by the U.S. State Department on social media regarding what it described as an “internal review” of immigrant visa processing. “We are in touch with U.S. authorities to ascertain further details as it is an evolving news,” he told reporters. He added that Pakistan understands the measure to be part of an internal review of the U.S. immigration system and expressed hope that “routine processing of immigrant visas will resume soon.”

The issue was raised after reports emerged that Pakistan was among the 75 countries affected, while India was not included in the list, despite Islamabad’s claims of improving ties with Washington.

In Bangkok, Thailand also formally questioned the decision. According to a statement from the Thai government’s public relations department (PR Thai Government), the Thai foreign minister met with the U.S. Chargé d’Affaires to seek clarification over Thailand’s inclusion. U.S. officials reportedly explained that the pause applies only to immigrant visas and does not affect tourist or student visas. Thai officials, however, queried why Thailand had been listed despite being a long-standing U.S. ally, noting that Thai companies operate in the United States and have created thousands of American jobs.

The U.S. State Department later confirmed that the suspension affects only the processing of immigrant visas as part of a broader internal review of immigration policies and systems. Officials said the measure does not apply to non-immigrant categories such as tourism, business travel, or education.

While Washington has not released a full public breakdown of all affected nations, officials indicated that the 75 countries span regions across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. Among those reported to be included are Pakistan and Thailand, along with a number of developing and emerging economies.

Both Islamabad and Bangkok said they would remain engaged with U.S. authorities to seek further clarification and to ensure that the review does not unduly disrupt people-to-people ties, business links, and long-standing bilateral relations.