US Suspends Visa Interviews Worldwide: State Dept Pauses EB-3 & Immigrant Visas for Public Charge Training

The U.S. Department of State has temporarily halted immigrant visa interview appointments at embassies and consulates worldwide as consular officers undergo enhanced training on the public charge ground of inadmissibility. The pause covers all immigrant visa categories, including employment-based (EB-1 through EB-5), family-based, and Diversity Visa applicants. Nonimmigrant visa categories such as H-1B, L-1, F-1, and B-1/B-2, as well as pending adjustment of status applications filed within the United States, are not affected. Applicants with previously scheduled interviews are receiving email notifications that their appointments have been postponed and will be rescheduled. The State Department has not released a specific timeline for when interviews will resume or how quickly cases will be rebooked, creating uncertainty for applicants with time-sensitive travel or employment plans. This pause follows a series of rapid policy changes affecting public charge standards. On July 20, 2026, DHS rescinded the Biden-era public charge policy. On August 18, USCIS released updated public charge adjudication standards. Then on August 21, a federal district court vacated the State Department's earlier suspension of immigrant visa issuance to nationals from seventy-five countries—a ruling that appears to have prompted the new training initiative. For EB-3 applicants pursuing consular processing abroad, the pause adds an additional layer of delay on top of existing backlogs and processing challenges. The State Department has also begun testing public charge bonds in select cases, though details about the new training materials and how future adjudications may change have not been publicly released. Employers sponsoring EB-3 workers and individual applicants should monitor consular communications closely and evaluate the potential impact on case timelines. Those facing time-sensitive deadlines—such as job start dates or expiring documents—should consult with immigration counsel to assess available options, including whether adjustment of status or other pathways may apply.