Update on Immigrant Visa Processing at U.S. Consulates

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the ability of embassies and consulates to be able to resume routine visa services. Constraints vary based on local conditions, including lockdowns, travel restrictions, and host country quarantine regulations. These restrictions, in addition to social distancing and other safety measures, have reduced appointment capacity at embassies and consulates, which has created a significant backlog of both immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applications.  

The Department of State is using a tiered approach to triage immigrant visa applications based on the category of immigrant visa.  

• Tier One: Immediate relative intercountry adoption visas, age-out cases (cases where the applicant will soon no longer qualify due to their age), and certain Special Immigrant Visas (SQ and SI for Afghan and Iraqi nationals working with the U.S. government). 

• Tier Two:  Immediate relative visas; fiancé(e) visas; and returning resident visas. 

• Tier Three: Family preference immigrant visas and SE Special Immigrant Visas for certain employees of the U.S. government abroad. 

• Tier Four: All other immigrant visas, including employment preference and diversity visas. 

This system instructs U.S. embassies and consulates to direct their limited resources to the prioritization of immediate relative and fiancé(e) immigrant visa applications. Visa applicants should expect to continue to face delays, particularly those in tiers three and four, but the DOS goal is to prevent the visa backlog from growing and, hopefully, to reduce it over time. Please contact Iandoli, Desai, and Cronin P.C.  (info@iandoli.com) to schedule a consultation if you have questions about an immigrant visa application.