U.S. immigrant visas from 75 countries delayed despite court ruling, lawyers say

Immigration lawyers say the U.S. State Department is not complying with a federal court order that struck down a blanket pause on immigrant visas for people from 75 countries. Instead, they allege, the department is deliberately slowing the processing of nearly 300,000 visa applications, leaving applicants largely stranded in their home countries.

Key facts

• A federal judge struck down the blanket pause on immigrant visas two months ago.
• Lawyers allege the State Department is slow-walking nearly 300,000 visa applications from people from 75 countries.
• Applicants are largely spouses, children and other family members of U.S. citizens.
• The State Department paused visa processing worldwide for a consular training program.
• The department said the training aims to identify immigrants who could become a public charge.

What is being alleged?

Immigration attorneys and people affected by the policy say the State Department is not following the judge's directives and is intentionally slow-walking the processing of nearly 300,000 visas from people from the previously banned nations. The effect, they say, is that all of those applicants remain trapped in their home country.

Who is affected?

The applicants are largely spouses and children or other family members of U.S. citizens, according to the lawyers. They are people from the 75 countries covered by the earlier blanket pause on immigrant visa issuance.

What has the State Department said?

The State Department declined to comment on the allegation that it is foot-dragging on reviewing these visas, citing pending litigation. The agency did pause visa processing worldwide to conduct a training program for consular officials. In an email statement, it said the goal of the training is to identify immigrants who could become a burden on taxpayers, a so-called public charge.

What this means for travellers

Family members of U.S. citizens applying for immigrant visas from the 75 affected countries face continued delays in processing, according to the lawyers involved. Applicants in this situation should factor possible processing delays into their plans.

What happens next

The litigation is pending, and the State Department cited that when declining to comment. No timeline for resolving the dispute has been announced.