Overview
- On Thursday, August 27, 2026 the State Department suspended immigrant‑visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide and told affected applicants their appointments were postponed without new dates.
- The pause applies only to immigrant visas and does not halt processing of nonimmigrant categories such as tourist, business and student visas.
- The department said officers will receive training this week on revised public‑charge instructions that direct them to weigh factors like age, health, income or resources, English ability and potential need for long‑term care.
- The suspension has no set end date and has created operational uncertainty that could slow family‑based and employment‑based immigrant processing while consular staff adopt the new assessments.
- Separately, the government plans a review that could revoke about 200,000 B‑1/B‑2 visitor visas issued from 2016–2026 to people who later sought asylum and lawyers warn the changes may hit applicants from lower‑income countries hardest.