In response to the novel coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of State has announced the suspension of routine visa services for immigrants and nonimmigrants in almost all countries, worldwide. The State Department is currently notifying applicants of the cancellation of visa appointments, which is one of the final steps required of foreign nationals to obtain a U.S. visa.
Visa Services Suspended
As of now, some of the major countries affected by this change include: United Kingdom, Germany, China, Israel, South Korea, Italy, Japan, France, Ukraine, Russia, India, Denmark, Turkey and Brazil. Routine visa services will return as soon as possible, but no specific dates have been announced.
Additionally, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) has temporarily closed local field offices and Application Support Centers (ASC), which means all U.S. in-person visa services are suspended – including in-person Green Card and naturalization interviews, naturalization ceremonies, and biometrics appointments. USCIS will be sending cancellation notices soon.
All of these closures are likely to mean that there will soon be significant delays in processing all immigration applications, including employment authorization renewals for students and spouses.
As always, we will continue to monitor U.S. immigration operations during this global health crisis and continue to provide updates. Please contact us if you have any questions.
