U.S. Department of State
Articles covering policy from U.S. Department of State. Sorted by the agency's own publication date.
State Department Resumes Diversity Visa Issuance After Court Order
Federal court lifts DOS pause on diversity visa issuance effective August 28, 2026. DV-2026 applicants must complete processing by September 30 deadline.
State Department proposes requiring parental citizenship proof for children's passports
New draft guidance would require parents to prove their citizenship or immigration status when applying for U.S. passports for children, as part of Trump's effort to enforce limits on birthright citizenship.
State Department pauses worldwide visa interviews for public charge rule training
A temporary suspension of immigrant visa interviews at all U.S. embassies and consulates affects green card applicants abroad. USCIS and DOS have implemented new public charge rules that could deny applications if applicants appear likely to rely on government benefits.
State Department Pauses All Immigrant Visa Processing for New Public Charge Screening
The State Department has temporarily halted all immigrant visa applications worldwide while briefing consular officials on a new public charge policy designed to exclude applicants deemed potential welfare recipients. The pause affects most family-based immigration processing.
State Department Pauses Immigrant Visa Interviews Worldwide for Public Charge Training
The State Department has temporarily halted immigrant visa appointments at all U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide while consular officers undergo new training on expanded public charge screening.
Trump administration pauses immigrant visa appointments worldwide and proposes mass B-1/B-2 revocation
The Trump administration has paused all immigrant visa appointments globally for staff training on public charge screening, plans to revoke up to 200,000 B-1/B-2 visas of asylum seekers, and proposed a $103,265 H-1B fee increase.
State Department to Revoke Up to 200,000 B1/B2 Visas for Asylum Seekers
The Trump administration plans the largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history, targeting business and tourism visa holders who filed for asylum. Learn how this affects pending asylum cases and what practitioners need to know.
State Department Plans Major B1/B2 Visa Revocations for Asylum Applicants
The Trump administration is preparing to revoke up to 200,000 business and tourism visas held by people who have sought asylum. Here's what practitioners need to know about this policy shift.
September 2026 Visa Bulletin Released: Employment-Based Categories Face Pressure
The State Department released the September 2026 Visa Bulletin setting final action dates and filing dates for family-based and employment-based green card applicants. EB-1 India, EB-2, and EB-5 face potential restrictions as fiscal year 2026 ends.
State Department Prepares to Revoke Up to 200,000 Business and Tourism Visas of Asylum Seekers
Trump administration plans largest mass visa revocation in U.S. history, targeting B-1 and B-2 visa holders who have sought asylum. Practitioners should understand the revocation scope, timing, and impact on pending asylum cases.
D.C. Court Dismisses Visa Pause Challenge Without Prejudice, Signals Need for Specific Facts
Judge McFadden rejects broad challenge to 75-country immigrant visa pause, citing insufficient standing proof and redacted filings. Plaintiffs have until August 24 to refile with individualized details.
State Department Makes Visa Bond Program Permanent, Raises Bond Caps
The final visa bond rule, effective August 3, 2026, makes the program permanent and raises maximum bond amounts to $20,000 for B-1/B-2 visa applicants from designated countries.
Federal Court Finds State Department Public Charge Policy Unlawful
A federal court ruled that the State Department's public charge policy violated the Immigration and Nationality Act by overriding consular officers' individualized assessment authority.
State Department Proposes Major Changes to J-1 Exchange Visitor Termination, Extension, and Reinstatement Rules
DOS proposes to expand grounds for program termination, remove the 'willful' insurance requirement, and streamline extension procedures for J-1 exchange visitors. 60-day comment period opens July 30, 2026.
State Department Considering $100,000 Bonds for Green Card Applicants Abroad
The Trump administration is weighing a proposal to require certain green card applicants at U.S. consulates overseas to post bonds of $100,000 upfront as proof of financial independence. Practitioners should monitor this developing policy.
State Department Eyes $100,000 Green Card Bond for Overseas Applicants
The Trump administration is evaluating a proposal to require certain green card applicants abroad to post a refundable $100,000 bond. Here's what practitioners need to know.
Visa Bulletin: Final Action Date vs Date for Filing, and When DOS Flips the DFF Toggle
What the two date charts in the monthly Visa Bulletin actually mean, when USCIS lets adjustment applicants use the Dates for Filing chart, and how DOS makes the call.
EB-2 and EB-3 Cross-Chargeability: Using a Spouse's Birth Country to Escape Retrogression
How INA § 202(b) lets an India- or China-born EB-2 / EB-3 principal charge to a spouse's country of birth, with the timing and proof the consulate and USCIS expect.
EB-2 ROW, India, and China: Priority-Date Math and Forecasting When a Date Goes Current
How the EB-2 annual cap, per-country limits, and unused-family-preference spillover combine to set the EB-2 cut-off dates for India, China, and the Rest of the World.
Family Preference Categories F1, F2A, F2B, F3, F4 — Eligibility and Priority-Date Cuts
How the four family-preference categories work under INA § 203(a), who falls in which, the annual caps that drive each line, and how F2A's spousal rule differs from the others.
Reading the DOS Visa Bulletin: Family vs Employment Charts and the Country Columns
A working guide to the State Department's monthly Visa Bulletin — the family and employment charts, the country columns, and how to translate priority dates into wait estimates.
INA §212(a)(4) Public Charge at the Consular Stage: DS-5540 and DOS's Reading of 'Totality'
What DOS actually weighs under public charge after the 2022 USCIS rule reset — and how the DS-5540 sits inside the totality-of-circumstances analysis at post.
INA §214(b) Refusal: Overcoming the Presumption of Immigrant Intent
Why nearly every B, F, and J refusal is a 214(b) — and the FAM-grounded ways to rebut the presumption on the next attempt.
The Consular Interview: What to Bring, What They Ask, and the 221(g) Limbo
A FAM-grounded walkthrough of the consular window — the documents posts actually look at, the questions officers actually ask, and what to do when you walk out with a colored slip.
DS-260 Immigrant Visa Application: The NVC Packet and Follow-to-Join Timing
How the National Visa Center sequences fees, civil documents, and the DS-260 — plus the follow-to-join rules that keep spouses and children eligible.
DS-160 Nonimmigrant Visa Application: Common Rejection Reasons and How to Fix Them
A practical guide to the DS-160 errors that quietly trigger 221(g) holds, mandatory reschedules, and 214(b) refusals — and what to do before you sign.
DV-2026 Diversity Visa Lottery: Application Window, Selection, and NVC Follow-Up
How the DV-2026 Diversity Visa program works — the October–November 2024 entry window, the May 2025 KCC notification, and the documentary checklist between selection and visa issuance.
J-1 §212(e) — The Two-Year Home Residency Requirement and the Five Waiver Paths
When §212(e) actually attaches, what it blocks, and the five waiver bases — no-objection, interested government agency, persecution, exceptional hardship, and Conrad 30 for physicians.
J-1 Exchange Visitor — Picking the Right Category Among Research Scholar, Intern, Trainee, and Summer Work Travel
The J-1 is one visa with sixteen subcategories. Picking the wrong one breaks duration, sponsor obligations, and the §212(e) two-year home residency requirement — here's how to choose.
DOS Visa Reciprocity Schedule: Country-by-Country Validity, Fees, and the Reciprocity Principle in Practice
How the State Department's Visa Reciprocity Schedule sets validity periods, entry limits, and fees per visa class on a country-by-country basis under INA §281, and why two applicants in the same visa category can face dramatically different terms.
9 FAM 302: How State Department Consular Officers Apply Visa Ineligibilities — and Where They Diverge from USCIS
How 9 FAM 302 codifies the State Department's interpretation of INA §212(a) grounds of inadmissibility for visa adjudication, and the recurring pattern of consular denials after USCIS approval.
E-1 treaty trader and E-2 treaty investor: what counts as qualifying trade or qualifying investment
E-1 and E-2 share a treaty country list but split on what the beneficiary must establish — substantial trade volume for E-1, a substantial at-risk investment in an active US enterprise for E-2.
Special Immigrant Visa (SIV): Iraqi and Afghan interpreters under the §1059 and §1244 frameworks
How the Special Immigrant Visa program admits Iraqi and Afghan nationals who served the U.S. mission, the distinct §1059, §1244, and §602(b) statutory authorities, and the path from chief-of-mission approval to LPR status.
Dual Citizenship: What the State Department Actually Says, the Persistent Myth, and the Rules That Govern Loss of U.S. Nationality
U.S. law tolerates dual citizenship — it does not encourage or prohibit it. Here is the actual DOS position, the INA §349 intent rule, and the practical complications dual citizens face.
Acquired Citizenship at Birth Abroad: INA §301 Transmission and the Physical-Presence Math
How U.S. citizenship transmits to children born abroad under INA §301: the two-citizen-parent rule, the one-citizen-parent five-year-with-two-after-14 rule, and the proofs.
Renunciation of U.S. Citizenship: DS-4080, the Section 349(a)(5) Statutory Procedure, and the Exit-Tax Architecture
Formal renunciation is a statutory act under INA §349(a)(5) performed at a U.S. consulate. Here is the DS-4080 process, the irrevocability rules, and the IRC §877A exit-tax exposure.
INA §212(d)(3) Nonimmigrant Waiver: The Matter of Hranka Factors
How DOS and CBP weigh the §212(d)(3) discretionary nonimmigrant waiver — and how the BIA's three Hranka factors structure every recommendation.