After the immigration ban was lifted, courts ruled that the visa issuance suspension was unlawful, and consulates outside the US resumed processing immigrant visas. However, the process is hindered by a new administrative pause linked to retraining consulate staff.
What happened to the immigration ban
According to Reuters, the first applicants who received preliminary approval after consulate interviews are now being called to pick up their visas. However, the sample on which this information is based consists of only four people, which makes it difficult to assess the scale of the process.
Most likely, these are applicants who were parties to the lawsuit and received a favorable court decision. Some of them were required to obtain immigrant visas by September 10, but this court order has not been executed as of now.
Ban lifted and visa issuance resumed
After two court rulings, the immigration ban was lifted, and the issuance of immigrant visas outside the United States resumed. This applies to applicants who have already completed consulate interviews and received approval.
However, consulates have not yet invited applicants who received interview approval to pick up their visas. This is due to retraining of consulate staff, which is necessary before the new Public Charge rule is implemented.
Administrative pause and staff retraining
Immediately after the immigration ban was lifted by federal court, a new administrative pause was introduced, justified by the need to train consulate officers to apply the new Public Charge rule. No timeline has been set for ending this pause.
Based on available information, immigrant visa issuance should resume after staff retraining is complete, as there are no other federal restrictions on this action.
What awaits new applicants
For applicants who have not yet had their interviews, the process will follow the new policy with a broader and stricter Public Charge rule. This may differ significantly from the previous method of assessing an applicant’s ability to support themselves.
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