The United States has lifted its suspension on issuing immigrant visas to citizens of Bangladesh and 74 other countries, effective from August 21 following a federal court ruling. The US State Department confirmed the change on its website updated August 28. Applicants from the affected countries may now be issued immigrant visas if they meet all regular visa requirements.

The State Department had temporarily halted immigrant visa issuance for the 75 countries in January. It had said some applicants from those countries could become dependent on US government assistance, requiring additional scrutiny. Immigrant visas offer a route to permanent residence in the United States and can subsequently open a path to obtaining a green card.

The Catholic Legal Immigration Network challenged the policy in a case against US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Judge Jeannette Vargas of the US District Court for the Southern District of New York found that withholding immigrant visas solely because of an applicant's nationality exceeded the secretary of state's authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act. Previously issued visas were not cancelled during the suspension, while applications and interviews continued; the pause applied at the final visa-issuance stage.