The United States has given reasons for suspending immigrant visas for Bangladeshis

The United States has explained its decision to suspend immigrant visas for Bangladeshi citizens, citing the relatively high reliance of immigrants from Bangladesh on US government welfare benefits.

The US Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement on Saturday (July 11) that the issuance of immigrant visas for Bangladeshi citizens has been suspended since January 21 of this year.

The announcement said that it is their responsibility to protect the interests of US taxpayers. Therefore, this step has been taken to ensure that immigrants do not illegally receive government welfare benefits or become an additional burden on the United States for government assistance.

The US Embassy also said that the decision to suspend immigrant visas was implemented due to the high rate of utilization of US government welfare benefits among Bangladeshi citizens.

The announcement stated that this suspension will provide an opportunity for a full review of US vetting policies and processes so that these policies can more effectively prioritize the interests of US citizens in the future.