- The State Department paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide on August 25, 2026, for public-charge screening training.
- The pause affects overseas family-based and employment-based green card interviews, but not F-1, H-1B, or B-1/B-2 visas.
- USCIS adjudications and Form I-485 adjustment-of-status filings continue, while canceled interviews will be rescheduled later.
The State Department paused immigrant visa appointments worldwide on August 25, 2026, as consular officers began new public-charge screening training. The department has not announced a public date for restarting the appointments.
The action affects interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates abroad. It does not suspend every immigration benefit handled by U.S. agencies.
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A department official confirmed the pause while officers undergo what the agency described as “in-depth training” on stricter screening rules. The initiative began in early August at all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide.
The training is intended to help officers apply updated standards “comprehensively and consistently,” according to the department. Applicants with scheduled interviews have received cancellation or postponement emails, and consular posts are expected to provide replacement dates directly.
A department spokesperson framed the policy this way:
“A more prosperous American means ensuring that visa applicants are not likely to become a public charge, as defined under U.S. law and regulation, and not likely to become dependent on U.S. public benefits reserved for qualified Americans in need.”
The spokesperson also said a global training initiative had begun at every U.S. embassy and consulate and that “appointments for visa and services will be adjusted.”
The pause covers people outside the United States seeking family-based and employment-based green cards through consular processing. It does not apply to nonimmigrant categories such as F-1 student visas, H-1B work visas or B-1/B-2 visitor visas.
Cases inside the country follow a different track. The action does not, on its face, halt adjustment-of-status filings on Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, which U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services adjudicates.
USCIS petition adjudications were not reported as suspended. The interruption occurs at the overseas interview and visa-issuance stage, after petition-related work and before applicants receive their visas.
Applicants with canceled appointments have been told that new dates will come later. Affected interviews were expected to move into September, October and November, although the department has not set a firm restart date.
Dual nationals using a valid passport from a non-listed country are exempt from the earlier country-based pause described in the department’s visa guidance. That exception is distinct from the worldwide training-related scheduling disruption.
The current pause is separate from the 75-country suspension
A federal judge struck down a different policy on August 21, 2026. That measure had suspended immigrant-visa issuance for nationals of 75 countries.
The ruling required the department to resume issuance and reconsider refusals based solely on that suspension. The court held that the policy exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The court action involved nationality-based issuance restrictions. The current action involves worldwide appointment adjustments connected to officer training.
The department’s January 21, 2026, processing guidance for nationals of certain countries had already created a separate visa-policy regime. Under that guidance, adopted children who qualify for the specified exception can continue normal adoption processing.
Applicants and petitioners therefore face more than one set of instructions. A court order governs cases affected by the 75-country suspension, while consular posts handle scheduling changes arising from the training initiative.
Training follows a year of shifting visa guidance and litigation
The administration’s immigration changes have also reached USCIS procedures. A revised policy governing Requests for Evidence and Notices of Intent to Deny took effect August 5, 2026, for applications pending or filed on or after that date.
That policy is separate from the overseas appointment pause. One changes how the agency handles requests in benefit cases; the other affects interviews for people seeking visas abroad.
Another court action later vacated related Diversity Visa suspensions and ordered the department and USCIS to resume ordinary adjudication in affected cases. The ruling added separate court-directed work while consular staff continued training.
The department had maintained visa-policy rules for nationals of designated countries before the latest worldwide appointment disruption. The January guidance took effect on January 21, 2026.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau connected the administration’s broader immigration position to asylum enforcement.
“People in the U.S. and all over the world are fed up with bogus asylum claims. Asylum isn't supposed to be a loophole to circumvent immigration laws.”
Updates dated August 26 to 31, 2026, continued to describe the appointment pause and the rescheduling of interviews.
The disruption reaches consular interviews, not every immigration case
| Immigration activity | Reported effect |
|---|---|
| Embassies and consulates abroad | Interviews and visa issuance are affected by the pause. |
| USCIS petition adjudications | Not reported as suspended. |
| adjustment of status | Domestic cases continue on a separate track. |
| Nonimmigrant visas | F-1, H-1B and B-1/B-2 visas are outside the pause. |
| Adoption processing | Qualifying adopted children may continue under the specified exception. |
The distinction also affects employers and families at different points in the process. A petitioner’s case may continue while the beneficiary waits for an overseas interview or visa decision.
Applicants must wait for direct rescheduling instructions
- Monitor the responsible embassy or consulate. Applicants with canceled or postponed interviews should watch for direct rescheduling notices.
- Keep contact information current. The department has said replacement appointments will be handled directly with visa applicants.
- Plan for delays in overseas processing. Employers, family petitioners and beneficiaries should account for changes to consular timelines.
- Track domestic cases separately. People pursuing adjustment of status inside the United States should follow USCIS case updates rather than treat the consular action as a nationwide benefits shutdown.
- Review passport eligibility under the earlier country-based guidance. Dual nationals may qualify for the non-listed-country exception when using a valid passport from that country.
The department’s latest public position combines tighter screening with appointment changes during the training period. Applicants whose interviews moved should wait for instructions from the post handling their case.
Processing times and fees are subject to change; verify at uscis.gov. The department’s updates dated August 26 to 31, 2026, indicated that interviews were still being rescheduled as the training continued.
