In January last, the United States had temporarily stopped issuing immigrant visas to citizens of these countries. The US government claimed that some applicants might become dependent on government assistance after arriving in the United States. Therefore, additional screening of applicants was needed.

When the Catholic Legal Immigration Network filed a lawsuit against this decision, the federal court for the Southern District of New York ruled on the suspension. The court held that blocking immigrant visas solely because a person is a citizen of a particular country exceeded the secretary of state's authority under immigration and nationality law.

Even during the suspension, previously issued visas were not revoked. There were also opportunities for new applications and interviews. The suspension was essentially in effect only at the final stage of visa issuance.

Now that the suspension has been lifted, immigrant visas can be issued to citizens of the 75 affected countries. However, applicants must still meet all regular visa-related requirements.

In addition to Bangladesh, the countries on the list include Afghanistan, Algeria, Myanmar, Pakistan, several countries of the Indian subcontinent, Nigeria, Iran, Iraq, Russia, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Venezuela, Yemen, and a total of 75 countries.