Rising tensions in the Middle East are causing immediate disruptions to visa processing and international travel across the region. According to the State Department, several embassies throughout the Middle East have halted or significantly limited visa services following airstrikes targeting Iran and subsequent retaliatory actions. The situation is fluid and…
Articles Posted in Embassy Closures
The State Department Announces New Visa Interview Waiver Restrictions Effective February 18th
On February 18, 2025, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced new changes to the Visa Interview Waiver program, further adding to the unpredictability of the Trump administration. Among these changes, the State Department has limited the categories of non-immigrants who are eligible to receive waivers of the in-person interview…
U.S. Embassy Israel Suspends Immigrant and Nonimmigrant Visa Services Amid Conflict
In this blog post, we share with you an important update from the U.S. Embassy in Israel. If you have a pending nonimmigrant or immigrant visa application awaiting an interview at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem or U.S. Embassy Branch Office in Tel Aviv, you should be aware that visa…
Diversity Visa Reassignment Procedure for Afghan Nationals
Welcome back to Visalawyerblog! In this blog post, we bring you the latest information regarding Diversity Visa reassignment procedures for Afghan nationals. Recently, the State Department announced the appropriate procedures for Diversity Visa lottery case reassignment for Afghan nationals. Due to the suspension of visa operations at the U.S. Embassy…
Status of Worldwide Consular Visa Operations, October 2022
Our readers will be happy to know that the Department of State has released a new update in the month of October on the status of worldwide consular visa operations. The COVID-19 pandemic caused a period of uncertainty and created tremendous backlogs at the Consular level. As most of you…
All About the November 2022 Visa Bulletin, What to Expect, and More!
In this blog post, we cover the release of the November Visa Bulletin 2022 and what you can expect for employment based and family preference categories during the upcoming month of November. The Department of State releases the visa bulletin on a monthly basis, which summarizes the availability of immigrant visa numbers for…
All About the October 2022 Visa Bulletin, What to Expect, and More!
In this blog post, we cover the release of the October Visa Bulletin 2022 and what you can expect for employment based and family preference categories during the upcoming month of October. The Department of State releases the visa bulletin on a monthly basis, which summarizes the availability of immigrant visa numbers for…
CBP Announces the End of Policy Allowing U.S. Citizens to Use Expired Passports to Re-Enter the U.S. from Abroad
We end the week with some new developments for United States Citizens with expired passports. On June 29, 2022, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Carrier Liaison Program announced the end of a policy that previously allowed U.S. Citizens to re-enter the United States from abroad with expired passports.…
This Week in Immigration: Biden Reinstates the Cuban Family Reunification Parole (CFRP) and NVC Suspends Public Inquiry Telephone Line
In this blog post, we share with you new immigration updates including major steps being taken by the Biden administration to support the people of Cuba, and the recent suspension of the NVC public inquiry telephone line. Biden Administration Measures to Support the Cuban People The Biden administration has taken…
All About the May 2022 Visa Bulletin, What to Expect, and More!
In this blog post, we cover the release of the May Visa Bulletin 2022 and what you can expect for employment based and family preference categories during the upcoming month of May. The Department of State releases the visa bulletin on a monthly basis, which summarizes the availability of immigrant visa numbers for…