On February 24th, President Biden revoked Presidential Proclamation 10014, which suspended the entry of Immigrants and, by extension, the issuance of Immigrant Visas at US Consulates and Embassies worldwide. By Proclamation, President Biden confirmed that the prolonged suspension of immigration “does not advance the interests of the United States. To the contrary, it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here. It also harms industries in the United States that utilize talent from around the world.”
Regrettably, following the many months that US immigration was restricted, already-significant global backlogs grew. In a briefing, the US Department of State (DOS) confirmed that approximately 75,000 immigrant visa cases were pending at the National Visa Center and ready for interview scheduling in January 2020. A year later, as of February 2021, the DOS confirmed 473,000 cases are pending at the National Visa Center. These case counts do not include cases already at embassies and consulates that have not yet been interviewed, applicants still gathering the necessary documents before they can be interviewed, or petitions awaiting USCIS approval.
Based on this report, Immigrant Visa applicants should expect significant processing delays in the coming months. We will continue to monitor this developing situation and will provide updates as they become available.
Immigration at Work 