Why Some Arab States Landed on the US Processing Freeze List—While Others Stayed Clear
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Fatima Saif
- . January 16, 2026
- . Update: January 16, 2026 5:39 pm
Some Arab nations have just emerged on a US list of countries under a processing freeze, which begs the question as to why certain countries were listed and others left out. A combination of geopolitical, security, and compliance factors tends to inform the list that temporarily halts or slows down specific administrative procedures happening in the US, including visas, security clearances, or aid reviews.
Nations on the list are generally associated with issues related to documentation issues, information-sharing problems, or larger diplomatic strains with Washington. Conversely, Arab countries that had continued to have lean partnerships with US agencies, particularly in the coordination of security, migration control, and transparency in the regulations, mostly escaped the freeze.
This was facilitated by regional stability, recent policy changes, and adherence to US strategic priorities. The Gulf countries that were either well tied in bilateral relations and had a record of consistent compliance showed a clear deficit, and the states that had internal political or security issues were more exposed.
