The US pause on immigrant visas from 75 countries, starting January 21, may add around 50,000 employment-based Green Card slots in 2027. This happens because family-based Green Card quotas from these countries could remain unused and transfer to employment-based categories the next year. Immigration experts say this is similar to what happened during Covid, when Priority Dates advanced by 4-5 years. Immigration attorney Emily Neumann examined the data for these 75 countries and found about 67,000 family-based visas would have been allotted in the current fiscal year without the ban. Since the ban began after the first quarter, around 50,000 Green Cards may spill over to employment-based applicants if the ban lasts until September 2026. Neumann noted Pakistan has the highest family-based Green Card quota at 15,000, followed by Bangladesh with 8,000, both on the visa ban list. The Trump administration announced the ban on immigrant visas from these 75 countries to assess welfare use by their nationals. The ban covers countries such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, Iran, Russia, and more. It only affects immigrant visas for permanent residence, not non-immigrant visas like H-1B, student, or travel visas.