Shutdown 2025: How Travel, Visa, and Immigration Can Be Affected

With Congress facing a funding lapse at the start of the new fiscal year on October 1, 2025, federal agencies are preparing for a U.S. Government Shutdown that could slow or pause parts of the travel system and the immigration services that many families, students, workers, and employers rely on.

Most fee-funded operations, including core U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) casework and many consular visa services, are expected to keep running. But key parts of the system that depend on annual appropriations or Department of Labor (DOL) certifications would stall, creating delays that could ripple through hiring plans, school start dates, business travel, and personal trips.

As of September 30, agencies are preparing to keep essential functions running, keep borders open, and continue national security screening, while warning of longer lines, fewer appointments, and slower response times in the coming days if funding lapses.

How fee-funded vs. appropriated programs differ

• Fee-funded programs (like most USCIS adjudications) are better positioned to continue through a shutdown.
• Appropriations-dependent programs or those with interagency dependencies face the most strain.

This split matters for real people on tight timelines: a family waiting on a passport renewal, a graduate student who must start the semester, a physician on a J-1 serving a rural community, or a tech firm depending on H-1B engineers. If Congress does not pass appropriations or a stopgap bill by midnight, the shutdown’s effects begin immediately as agencies implement contingency plans and furlough nonessential staff.

USCIS: core adjudications likely to continue, support services may slow

USCIS, which relies largely on application and filing fees, will keep its core casework moving.

• Continuing services
  • Petitions tied to green cards, work authorization, and naturalization are expected to continue.
  • Biometrics appointments should proceed where offices remain open.
• Possible slowdowns
  • Supporting functions that rely on appropriations or shared services (customer service channels, certain file transfers, address updates, and nonemergency inquiries) may slow.
  • Expect longer intervals between case updates and extra time for notices to arrive.

Practical tip: build extra time into plans and keep receipts, screenshots, and case numbers handy.

Consulates and embassies: many services fee-funded, but access and staffing matter

Visa and passport work at consulates often draws on fee revenue, so many services can keep operating. However, consular operations depend on staffing and facility access.

• Risks
  • Local posts may face staffing shortages if support personnel are furloughed.
  • Domestic passport offices housed in federal buildings may close, shrinking interview calendars.
  • Nonurgent appointments can be pushed out.
• Traveler impact
  • Longer wait times for nonimmigrant visa interviews at high-demand posts.
  • Slower issuance for cases requiring additional background checks or interagency coordination.

If you need a visa or passport soon, monitor your post’s appointment portals and prepare to provide proof of urgent travel when requested.

Border operations and travel

• Continuing services
  • Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers are essential; ports of entry and airport inspections remain open.
  • Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and air traffic control continue to operate.
• Potential impacts
  • When secondary staff are furloughed, lines grow and wait times lengthen at busy crossings and airports.
  • Some federal staff may work without pay until funds are restored.

Travelers should arrive early, carry required documents, and consider travel insurance.

Department of Labor: the most acute shutdown impact

The DOL must suspend immigration functions that depend on appropriations. That includes critical employer-side systems:

• Systems and actions that stop
  • FLAG system for Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) supporting H-1B, H-1B1, and E-3 filings.
  • PERM labor certification processing.
  • Prevailing wage determinations.
• Employer impact
  • Employers cannot obtain new LCAs, cannot file new PERMs, and cannot request new wage determinations.
  • If there isn’t a certified LCA in hand, an H-1B or E-3 petition that requires one cannot be filed.
  • Time-limited projects and workers with expiring status can face start-date derailments and costly contingency planning.

Action for employers: file early where possible and verify whether you already hold certified LCAs.

E-Verify: paused during shutdown

• Effects
  • Employers cannot create new E-Verify cases or resolve Tentative Non-Confirmations while the system is offline.
  • Historically, the three-day rule to create E-Verify cases is relaxed during outages and deadlines are extended when service resumes.
• Employer checklist
  • Document new hires carefully and follow Form I-9 rules for physical inspection.
  • Plan to enter E-Verify cases once the system returns.
  • Assign a central point of contact to clear backlogs in an orderly way when services resume.

Immigration courts, asylum, and refugee processing

• Immigration courts
  • Staffing cuts and postponements increase backlog.
  • Hearings for many non-detained cases may be delayed by months.
  • Rescheduling creates cascading pressure when courts restart.
• Asylum and refugee processing
  • Interviews and background checks may face longer timelines as agencies reassign limited staff.
  • Expedited review is possible for urgent humanitarian cases, but the bar is high.

If you have a pending case, keep close track of notices and bring complete documentation to any scheduled appointments.

Passports, domestic services, and mail

• Domestic passport agencies that are fee-funded generally keep operating, but closures of federal buildings can limit in-person service.
• Renewals by mail continue through the U.S. Postal Service, which is self-funded and keeps delivering.
• Travelers with imminent departures can request urgent or emergency processing, but must be flexible and ready with proof of travel.

Practical step: mail passport renewals with tracking and keep copies of what you send.

Students, exchange visitors, and schools

• The Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) remains online, so schools can continue reporting status changes.
• Delays in consular visa scheduling can still affect arrivals.
• New admits should:
  • Keep documents ready.
  • Check email and appointment portals often.
  • Discuss remote start or deferral options with schools.

Universities often accommodate students affected by processing delays, but communication and documentation are essential.

Employer and cross-border team guidance

• Revisit project timelines and staffing plans.
• If an H-1B extension needs a fresh LCA, a shutdown could block filing until DOL reopens.
• For frequent travelers or executives, consolidate trips and prepare alternate plans if consular services are limited.
• Companies relying on fall hiring should adjust start dates and onboarding windows now.

Work with counsel to triage filings that can proceed versus those blocked by DOL closures.

Wider economic and community effects

• Slowed visa issuance can reduce inbound tourism and local spending.
• Conventions and business meetings may see lower attendance.
• University towns can feel strain from late student arrivals.
• Small employers suffer when E-Verify pauses, especially where clients demand verified staff.
• Even when core services operate, knock-on effects—staff fatigue, backlogs, rescheduling bottlenecks—can take months to unwind.

Practical preparedness checklist

1. File early when possible and save every receipt, case number, and notice.
2. Take screenshots of online submissions and keep a log of calls, emails, and visits.
3. Check agency announcements and consulate websites for local updates.
4. If you have an urgent need (medical emergency, funeral, humanitarian travel), ask about emergency processing and prepare evidence.
5. Avoid nonessential travel tied to time-sensitive immigration documents during the shutdown window.
6. If traveling, plan extra time at airports and borders; carry all required documentation and consider travel insurance.

Important: If you must reschedule a missed appointment due to a shutdown-related closure, having proof (screenshots, receipts, notices) can speed the request.

Employer communications and contingency planning

• Communicate plainly with foreign national staff and HR teams:
  • DOL certifications will pause.
  • E-Verify will be unavailable.
  • Some USCIS programs that rely on appropriations may stop unless renewed (e.g., Conrad 30 J-1 physician program, EB-4 non-minister category).
• Prepare contingency plans for affected candidates and internal coverage for roles that depend on DOL actions.
• Manage expectations for start dates and work closely with counsel.

Travel-specific tips

• If traveling internationally during the shutdown:
  • Arrive earlier than usual at airports and land borders.
  • Carry green cards or proof of status and supporting documentation.
  • For nonimmigrants, keep approval notices, employment letters, and pay stubs in your carry-on.
  • Weigh risks of leaving if your case is pending; reentry could be delayed.

Why some services continue while others stop

Funding mechanisms explain the difference:

• USCIS: mostly fee-funded → core adjudications continue.
• Consular services: many fee-funded → can proceed, but staffing/building access limit capacity.
• DOL: appropriations-dependent → immigration functions shut down.
• E-Verify: system-dependent → goes offline during a lapse even though Form I-9 remains required.

This is why an H-1B petitioner might be ready to file with USCIS but cannot proceed without a certified LCA from DOL.

Human impact

Delays affect lives: nurses waiting for renewals, families missing narrow travel windows, refugees facing extended uncertainty, and businesses missing critical hires. These delays cause stress, extra costs, and missed moments, even when many services continue.

Quick summary of key facts

• USCIS core adjudications: mostly continue (fee-funded).
• Consulate visa & passport work: generally proceed but with possible limits and longer waits.
• Border inspections: operational but with potential longer lines.
• DOL immigration systems (LCAs, PERM, wage determinations): offline during a shutdown.
• E-Verify: unavailable; deadlines extended after service returns.
• Some appropriations-dependent programs (Conrad 30, EB-4) would pause unless renewed.
• Immigration courts: face added delays.
• USPS: continues to operate, supporting mail-based filings and renewals.

Final practical advice

Treat the next two weeks as a period of uncertainty:

• Plan buffer time for anything touching a federal system.
• Keep travel flexible and avoid last-minute filings if possible.
• Preserve all proof of action (receipts, screenshots, notices).
• If you have an emergency, request help and be ready with evidence.
• Stay informed by checking official sources regularly.

For official, high-level information about what a shutdown means for federal services, including which functions continue and which pause, see the USA.gov government shutdown guide. Agency pages and consulate notices will offer more granular updates as the situation evolves.

USCIS has confirmed its contact center remains available; applicants can call 1-800-375-5283 for case-specific help, though wait times may grow. CBP will continue border operations and security checks. USPS continues delivering, which supports mail-based filings and passport renewals even when some federal buildings are closed.

Careful planning, early filing, and thorough documentation won’t eliminate every delay, but they put you in the strongest position to move forward once funding and full services are restored.