On Aug. 31, 2026, the U.S. Department of State (DOS) announced that it is once again issuing Diversity Immigrant Visas (DVs), following a federal court order in Medani et al. v. Trump et al. that halted the government’s December 2025 suspension of visa issuance under the Diversity Visa (DV) program. According to DOS, the pause
The Trump administration has directed U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide to temporarily pause and reschedule immigrant visa interviews while consular officers undergo mandatory training on enhanced screening procedures, including the public charge ground of inadmissibility.
Continue Reading State Department Pauses Immigrant Visa Interviews Worldwide as Consular Officers Undergo New Public Charge Training
A transition to Pay.gov for visa-related fees may affect consular processing where payment verification issues arise.
Continue Reading State Department’s Pay.gov Transition Creates Visa Issuance Challenges for Applicants, Employers
The U.S. Department of State has published its March 2026 Visa Bulletin, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) confirmed that employment-based adjustment applicants must rely on the Dates for Filing chart this month, instead of the Final Action chart.
Continue Reading Department of State Releases March 2026 Visa Bulletin: Key Employment-Based Filing Opportunities and Priority Date Movement
For foreign nationals navigating the U.S. visa process, few immigration experiences are more frustrating than hearing the words “administrative processing” after a visa interview. This additional review step can derail carefully planned travel dates, job start dates, family reunifications, and educational opportunities. Understanding what administrative processing entails and how to navigate it effectively can help
With the 2024 Summer Olympics approaching, visa applicants may see longer wait times for appointments at U.S. embassies and consulates in Paris and across Europe. The Summer Olympics are set to take place in Paris, France from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2024. The Paralympics will take place from Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. Drawing
In February 2023, Portugal proposed a “Mais Habitação” or “More Housing” bill that would, in part, suspend the entire Golden Visa immigrant investor program in an effort to address housing availability in the country, as discussed in an earlier blog post. Since that writing, there have been significant updates.
In July 2023
The global demand for non-immigrant U.S. visas skyrocketed during the COVID-19 health emergency, when travel was halted and U.S. embassies and consulates closed. Even after reopening, U.S. embassies and consulates are still reporting significant delays in many locations including Brazil, India, Mexico, and others. More recently, the U.S. State Department announced that new processing initiatives, including
On Feb. 16, 2023, the Portuguese Prime Minister announced a set of measures to alleviate the housing problem in Portugal. These measures in part impact and call for termination of the Portuguese immigrant investor program known as Golden Visa. This announcement will significantly impact many interested in the program and those that have already submitted
On Jan. 23, 2023, USCIS announced it will issue new Form I-797 receipt notices to newly filed I-829 petitions and eligible conditional permanent residents (CPRs) whose Form I-829 was still pending as of Jan. 11, 2023. The new receipt notices would extend the status of a conditional permanent resident investor and his or her dependents