Articles Posted in U.S. Embassies

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Rising tensions in the Middle East amid the escalating conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran have triggered a collapse in regional air travel. Widespread airspace closures, airport shutdowns, and thousands of canceled flights have stranded travelers across major transit hubs such as Dubai, Doha, and Abu Dhabi.

Among those caught in the disruption are thousands of green card holders and visa holders who left the United States temporarily and are now unable to return as flights remain suspended and regional travel remains restricted.

In this video, we discuss key steps the State Department recommends for permanent residents and other noncitizens currently stranded in the region.

75-Country Ban on Immigrant Visa Issuance

As a reminder, the Trump administration imposed an indefinite pause on immigrant visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries beginning January 21, 2026. Due to the pause, the State Department has suspended the issuance of all immigrant visas while it develops new procedures to assess whether applicants may become financially dependent on the U.S. government under the public charge standard.

  • Impact: While U.S. consulates may continue accepting applications and conducting interviews, they are currently unable to issue or print immigrant visas, including family- and employment-based green cards, for affected applicants until the new policy is implemented. This further complicates travel for immigrants residing in the Middle East, including Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Syria, and Yemen.

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Are you applying for an immigrant visa and want to know when your priority date will become current? Then you won’t want to miss our analysis of the March 2026 Visa Bulletin.

In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the new year.

USCIS Adjustment of Status

For adjustment of status filings to permanent residence in the month of March, USCIS will continue using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.

Highlights of the March 2026 Visa Bulletin

At a Glance

What can we expect to see in the month of March?

Employment-Based Categories

Final Action Advancements

  • EB-1 India and China will advance one month to March 1, 2023

EB-2 Members of the Professions and Aliens of Exceptional Ability

  • EB-2 India will advance 2 months to September 15, 2013
  • EB-2 Except China, all other countries will advance 6.5 months to October 15, 2024

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers

  • EB-3 Philippines will advance 2 months to August 1, 2023
  • EB-3 Mexico and Worldwide will advance 4 months to October 1, 2023

EB-3 Other Workers

  • EB-3 Mexico, Philippines, and Worldwide will advance 2 months to November 1, 2021

EB-4 Special Immigrants

  • All countries will advance 6.4 months to July 15, 2021

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On January 14, 2026, the State Department announced it is pausing the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of 75 countries, effective January 21, 2026, while it develops a new process to assess whether applicants may become a “public charge” (financially dependent on the U.S. government).

Applicants can still apply and attend interviews, but no immigrant visas will not be issued during the pause. The policy affects family-sponsored and employment-based green cards, though dual nationals applying with a passport from a country not on the list are exempt from the suspension.

The policy change focuses on the statutory “public charge” ground of inadmissibility, which allows visa refusal in the event an applicant is found likely to depend on the U.S. government for financial assistance. Consular officers are permitted to consider factors such as an applicant’s health, age, education, employment prospects, and financial stability when evaluating if they are a public charge risk.

It is unclear how long the suspension will last or how the public charge review process will ultimately change.

Immigrant visa applicants from the affected countries should monitor communications from the State Department and prepare for potential delays in visa issuance.

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Are you applying for an immigrant visa and want to know when your priority date will become current? Then you won’t want to miss our analysis of the February 2026 Visa Bulletin.

In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the new year.

USCIS Adjustment of Status

For adjustment of status filings to permanent residence in the month of February, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.

Highlights of the February 2026 Visa Bulletin

At a Glance

What can we expect to see in the month of February?

Employment-Based Categories

Final Action Advancements

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers

  • Except India and China, all countries will advance by 5.7 weeks to June 1, 2023

Dates for Filing Advancements

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers

  • Except India and China, all other countries will advance by 3 months to October 1, 2023

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In the wake of a deadly shooting at Brown University, the Trump administration has suspended the U.S. Diversity Immigrant Visa program — better known as the Green Card Lottery — after learning the suspected shooter entered the country using the program.

The decision, announced by the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, pauses the annual green card lottery which offered up to 50,000 visas to applicants from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States.

What does this mean for people who planned to apply for the Green Card Lottery this year?

Electronic registrations for the fiscal year 2027 Green Card lottery are suspended until further notice.

During the pause, the government will enhance security vetting of applicants including conducting national security checks against terrorism databases, assessing public safety risks, and verifying each applicant’s identity.

Why was the Green Card lottery created?

The Green Card lottery was established by Congress in 1990 and officially began in 1995. Its purpose was to diversify the immigrant population by providing a legal pathway to permanent residency for individuals from countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S.

Each year, the program made up to 50,000 immigrant visas available through a randomized selection process, aiming to promote broader geographic representation and reinforce America’s long-standing identity as a nation shaped by immigrants from around the world.

For many, the program represented a once-in-a-lifetime chance to pursue the American dream. Last year alone, more than 20 million people entered the lottery, highlighting the intense demand for these visas.

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Are you applying for an immigrant visa and want to know when your priority date will become current? Then you won’t want to miss our analysis of the January 2026 Visa Bulletin.

In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the new year.

USCIS Adjustment of Status

For adjustment of status filings to permanent residence in the month of January, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.

Highlights of the January 2026 Visa Bulletin

At a Glance

What can we expect to see in the month of January?

Employment-Based Categories

Final Action Advancements

EB-1 Aliens of extraordinary ability, Outstanding Professors and Researchers, and Certain Multinational Managers or Executives

  • EB-1 India will advance by 10 months to February 1, 2023
  • EB-1 China will advance by 10 days to February 1, 2023

EB-2 Members of the Professions and Aliens of Exceptional Ability

  • EB-2 India will advance by 2 months to July 15, 2013
  • EB-2 China will advance by 3 months to September 1, 2021
  • All other countries will advance by 2 months to April 1, 2024

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers

  • EB-3 India will advance by 1.8 months to November 15, 2013
  • EB-3 China will advance by 1 month to May 1, 2021
  • All other countries will advance by 1 week to April 22, 2023

EB-3 Other Workers

  • EB-3 India will advance by 1.8 months to November 15, 2013
  • EB-3 China will advance by 1 year to December 8, 2018
  • All other countries will advance by 1 month to September 1, 2021

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Are you applying for an immigrant visa and want to know when your priority date will become current? Then you won’t want to miss our analysis of the December 2025 Visa Bulletin.

In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the month of December.

USCIS Adjustment of Status

For adjustment of status filings to permanent residence in the month of December, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.

Highlights of the December 2025 Visa Bulletin

At a Glance

What can we expect to see in the month of December?

Employment-Based Categories

Final Action Advancements

EB-1 Aliens of extraordinary ability, Outstanding Professors and Researchers, and Certain Multinational Managers or Executives

  • India will advance by one month to March 15, 2022
  • China will advance by one month to January 22, 2023
  • All other countries remain current

EB-2 Members of the Professions and Aliens of Exceptional Ability

  • India will advance by six weeks to May 15, 2013
  • China will advance by two months to June 1, 2021
  • All other countries will advance by 2 months to February 1, 2024

EB-3 Professionals and Skilled Workers

  • India will advance by one month to September 22, 2013
  • China will advance by one month to April 1, 2021
  • All other countries will advance by two weeks to April 15, 2023

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Are you applying for an immigrant visa and want to know when your priority date will become current? Then you won’t want to miss our analysis of the November 2025 Visa Bulletin.

In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the month of November.

USCIS Adjustment of Status

For adjustment of status filings to permanent residence in the month of November, USCIS will be using the Dates for Filing Chart for the employment-based and family-sponsored categories.

Highlights of the November 2025 Visa Bulletin

At a Glance

What can we expect to see in the month of November?

Employment-Based Categories

There are no changes to the Dates for Filing and Final Action charts for the employment-based categories when compared to the October Visa Bulletin.

Family-Sponsored Categories

Final Action Advancements

  • F2B Worldwide, China, and India will advance by 9 days to December 1, 2016
  • F3 Mexico will advance by 16 days to May 1, 2001

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On September 19, 2025, President Trump issued a presidential proclamation titled “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers,” announcing new changes to the H-1B visa program. The proclamation imposes a $100,000 fee on all new H-1B petitions filed after 12:01 a.m. EDT on September 21, 2025, but leaves open the possibility of applying for national interest exceptions for those impacted.

According to the proclamation, the goal is to prioritize highly skilled and highly paid foreign workers while curbing abuse of the H-1B visa program for specialty occupations. The measure is set to remain in effect for 12 months unless extended.

The timing and language of the proclamation has caused widespread confusion and concern among employers, as well as both current and prospective H-1B workers. In response, the White House and federal agencies issued follow-up explanations, which have left many questions unanswered and even contradicted the text of the proclamation.

Policy Memorandums

In a memo published the day after the proclamation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) explained that the $100,000 fee applies only to new H-1B petitions filed after the September 21 effective date.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) similarly posted on X: “President Trump’s updated H-1B visa requirement applies only to new, prospective petitions that have not yet been filed. Petitions submitted prior to September 21, 2025, are not affected.”

In a separate statement, the State Department said, “The Proclamation’s restrictions on visa issuance and entry apply only to aliens seeking visa issuance or entry into the United States based on H-1B petitions filed with USCIS after the Proclamation’s effective date of September 21, 2025, at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).”

To further clarify the proclamation’s impact, USCIS issued the following FAQs:

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Are you applying for an immigrant visa and want to know when your priority date will become current? Then you won’t want to miss our analysis of the September 2025 Visa Bulletin.

In this video, attorney Jacob Sapochnick explains what you can expect to see in terms of the movement of the family-sponsored and employment-based visa categories in the month of September.

USCIS Adjustment of Status

For employment-based preference categories, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has confirmed it will continue to use the Final Action Dates chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of September.

For family-sponsored preference categories, USCIS will also continue to use the Dates for Filing chart to determine filing eligibility for adjustment of status to permanent residence in the month of September.

Please click here for more information.

Highlights of the September 2025 Visa Bulletin

At a Glance

What can we expect to see in the month of September?

Employment-Based Categories

There will be no changes to the employment-based Final Action Dates and Dates for Filing for the month of September.

The Visa Bulletin contains an important note that says the Visa Office expects to reach the FY 2025 annual limit for most employment-based categories during August and September. When this occurs, affected categories will become “unavailable” and no visas will be issued.

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