Consulates May Waive Visa Interviews for Certain Renewals

Update June 15, 2021 Please see a flyer below regarding the interview waiver procedure. If a consular has an interview waiver process in place and a visa applicant qualifies, the applicant must schedule their document drop-off or mail-in processing directly with that consular. Typically, these documents include: DS-160 confirmation page, a valid passport, pre-paid courier packaging for...

Rescission of Presidential Proclamations 9645 and 9983

Update March 16, 2021 As part of Biden's Proclamation on "Ending Discriminatory Bans on Entry to the United States", the President has directed the State Department, within 45 days, to provide a report including a proposal for individuals whose immigrant visa applications were denied due to Proclamations 9645 or 9983 and seek to have their applications reconsidered.  The Department of State has...

New Public Charge Rule Implemented by Trump will be Dead

On March 9, 2021, DHS announced that it would no longer defend the 2019 Public Charge Rule (2019 Rule) implemented by the Trump Administration which led to the creation of the Form I-944. Lawsuits were filed challenging the 2019 Rule. It has been confusing at times when the Rule was put on hold, then back on, then only applicable to some jurisdictions. Given that the last court decision was to...

Immigrant Visa Ban Lifted

On February 24, 2021, President Biden rescinded Trump's Immigrant Visa ban (Proclamation 10014) which suspended the entry of certain immigrant visa applicants. However, given the backlog caused by the Covid pandemic and the bans under Trump, the resumption of visa services will not be swift or back to pre-pandemic levels. The Department of State has provided an update on its website regarding...