Artyom Rusov shares how the immigration-visa freeze has affected his life and why he wants to move to the U.S.
Artyom Rusov shares how the immigration-visa freeze has affected his life and why he wants to move to the U.S.
The U.S. suspended issuing immigration visas to citizens of 75 countries, including Belarus, on January 21, 2026. The U.S. State Department explained the decision as a review of rules for citizens from «high-risk» countries: officials say they want to ensure migrants «will not use social benefits or become a burden on society.» The duration of this visa suspension remains unknown.
This decision disrupted the plans of Artyom Rusov — a well-known Belarusian QA engineer, course creator and author of a QA YouTube channel and blog.
Artyom spent more than a year and a half and tens of thousands of dollars pursuing an EB-1A talent visa petition, which makes him eligible for a green card without employer sponsorship. In November 2025, his petition was finally approved on the second attempt. All that remained was to attend an embassy interview and receive the visa to enter the United States.
Rusov described his case on LinkedIn. In the comments, some suggest alternative destinations (Spain, Portugal, Cyprus, Kazakhstan), while others jokingly ask him not to come to Brazil or Montenegro. Artyom jokes about a «curse» that prevented him from settling in Ukraine and Turkey — and now seems to threaten his prospects in Georgia. Others question why he wants to move to the U.S. in 2026 at all. We asked Artyom the same question.
«I’ve wanted to go to the US since childhood,» Artyom Rusov told us. «I think we live in conditions where Western culture dominates and shapes certain perceptions of this country through movies, music, and the entertainment industry.»
«This thought has been with me throughout my adult life, and after a couple of years of blogging, I realized I could make it happen through a talent visa.»
«Back in 2022 I evaluated my chances, but at that time I objectively didn’t have anything strong enough to meet the criteria.»
«Then came partnership projects with industry leaders, an interview with ITBeard, successful courses on various platforms, conferences. That’s how the case I eventually brought to my attorney started to take shape.»
«I would have gone, of course, if I hadn’t moved to Ukraine in 2021. After that, I had neither the opportunity nor the legal grounds. Now I have the opportunities, but because of my declared immigration intentions, authorities would not grant me a tourist visa.»
«To state the obvious, by mid-2024, everyone knows the advantages of the US: a strong passport, one of the world’s leading economies, great opportunities for IT development, a different continent with no military conflicts.»
«Of course, recent political decisions and immigration restrictions no longer make the US the number one option for many.»
But I still want to fulfill this dream: to go there, live with a green card rather than as a tourist for a number of years, and then see what comes next.
A second citizenship certainly wouldn’t hurt.
«And the process has been going on for several years, with a large investment of time and money, so I hope to complete it.»
Artyom’s LinkedIn post:
«So, about the US talent visa. Many are interested in my progress and remember that I used to write actively about the process. Now I have something to share.
Back in November, my EB1A visa petition was approved, which allows for obtaining a green card directly, without employers. This happened after the second attempt.
A year and a half of intensive work on the case, 2000+ pages, collecting and preparing evidence for 10 criteria, conferences, hackathons, scientific articles, media coverage, recommendations from market leaders…
It seemed the hardest part was behind me.
The next stage should have been waiting for an interview at the embassy to get a visa for entering the US.
I spent the end of 2025 with pleasant anticipation that I would be somewhere in the US by 2026. And I planned to write to you about it from there.
But on January 21, 2026, the U.S. imposed a pause on immigrant visas for 75 countries (including Belarus and Russia), which covers my visa category. They say they’re taking a pause while making changes to the legislation. As if someone who invested tens of thousands of dollars in an attorney and case would go to the US to live on benefits…
When it will end — I don’t know.
What will happen with the approved case — I don’t know.
What to do now — I don’t know.
I’m waiting for now.
Perhaps it’s some kind of 'curse,' because in all the countries I’ve moved to after Belarus, something unpleasant happened that forced me to choose a new direction.
To be honest, this is not how I envisioned the beginning of this year, but after almost 5 years of immigration, I’ve gotten used to it and know I’ll manage.
This post isn’t meant to elicit pity. I’m simply saying that life has many colors — and they’re not always positive.
We’ll keep fighting for our place in the sun 😉.
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Да я уже по статье понял, что жалеть не стоит. Просто твое "проклятие" распространяется и на США. Это из за него Трампа выбрали
Едь в Германию. Не жирно, но зато без "проклятия". Да и вообще, надо было сразу туда ехать. Уже был бы немецкий паспорт, с которым попасть в страну мечты было бы проще ;)
В США надо было ехать до ковида. А ещё лучше сразу когда они вышли из кризиса 2008 г. (2010 г.) Тогда это была страна возможностей.
Сейчас устроить свою жизнь в Штатах намного труднее. Жильё подорожало в 2+ раза. Как и cost of living в целом. А зарплаты увеличились хорошо если в 1.5 раза. Да и найти работу стало намного труднее. Надо иметь очень высокий уровень профессиональной квалификации чтобы конкурировать с другими претендентами.
Так что если ты середнячок, ищи другие варианты.
Какие ?
Колумбия, Мексика, Аргентина. Там сейчас подъём. И не толь в IT.