Reuters said the reasoning behind singling out the two countries was not disclosed.
The exemption comes amid a broader U.S. visa clampdown that has unfolded in stages this year. The State Department suspended visa procedures worldwide on Aug. 26, saying consular staff needed additional training to evaluate whether applicants might later depend on U.S. public assistance programs. Numerous scheduled visa appointments were canceled as a result.
Officials had initially told a federal court the pause would end by late August, but Reuters reported the freeze could drag on far longer than that — making the carve-out for Poland and Hungary notable.
The suspension follows an earlier, narrower crackdown: in January, the administration blocked immigrant visas from 75 countries, concentrated in Africa, Asia and South America. A court challenge halted enforcement of that policy, after which the State Department broadened the restrictions into the current global suspension.
Immigrant visas grant foreign nationals long-term U.S. residency and, in many cases, permission to work legally. They are available to relatives of American citizens and permanent residents, as well as to applicants with specialized professional skills.
Reuters also linked the Poland exemption to the case of Zbigniew Ziobro, the country's former justice minister, who is sought by Polish authorities but was previously issued a U.S. journalist visa — a decision the agency attributed to Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau.
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Source: Polish Radio, PAP