U.S. Pauses Immigrant Visa Interviews Worldwide for Public Charge Training: What Applicants Need to Know
WASHINGTON — August 26, 2026
The U.S. Department of State has temporarily paused or rescheduled immigrant visa interviews at U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide while consular officers undergo enhanced training related to public charge assessments.
The development affects applicants completing the final stages of U.S. permanent immigration through consular processing, including many family-based and employment-based immigrant visa applicants.
Applicants with scheduled interviews have reportedly begun receiving notices that their appointments have been cancelled or will be rescheduled. At this stage, the State Department has not announced a definitive worldwide date for normal immigrant visa interview scheduling to resume.
For applicants waiting for U.S. immigrant visa interviews, including those pursuing EB-3 employment-based immigration, it is important to understand what has changed—and what has not.
Why Has the U.S. Paused Immigrant Visa Interviews?
The temporary disruption is connected to a global training initiative launched by the U.S. Department of State for consular officers serving at U.S. embassies and consulates around the world.
The training focuses on how officers evaluate whether an immigrant visa applicant could be considered likely to become a public charge under U.S. immigration law.
According to the State Department, the objective is to ensure that visa applicants are assessed comprehensively and consistently under applicable U.S. laws and regulations.
The Department has been working on updated public charge guidance and related consular training during 2026.
What Does “Public Charge” Mean?
Public charge is an established concept under U.S. immigration law.
Under Section 212(a)(4) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), an applicant may be found inadmissible if a U.S. consular officer determines that the applicant is likely to become a public charge.
When making public charge determinations, financial support can therefore become an important consideration in immigrant visa processing.
For many family-sponsored immigrants, this includes the required Affidavit of Support from the U.S. petitioner or, where permitted and necessary, a qualifying joint sponsor.
For immigrant categories that generally do not require the traditional Affidavit of Support—including many employment-based immigrants—applicants may demonstrate financial support through evidence such as:
Personal funds and financial resources
A qualifying U.S. job offer
Financial sponsorship from a U.S. resident
Other acceptable evidence demonstrating adequate financial support
The exact requirements depend on the applicant's immigration category and individual circumstances.
Who Is Affected by the Worldwide Interview Pause?
The current disruption primarily concerns people applying for immigrant visas through U.S. embassies and consulates outside the United States.
This can include:
Family-sponsored immigrant visa applicants
Employment-based immigrant visa applicants
EB-1, EB-2 and EB-3 applicants using consular processing
Diversity Visa applicants
Other applicants seeking U.S. permanent residence through immigrant visa processing abroad
Applicants who already have interview appointments may receive instructions directly from the U.S. embassy or consulate handling their case.
A postponed or rescheduled interview does not automatically mean that an immigrant visa case has been refused, denied or cancelled.
Are U.S. Tourist, Student and Other Nonimmigrant Visas Also Paused?
Current information indicates that the worldwide disruption is focused on immigrant visa interviews.
It should therefore not be interpreted as a worldwide suspension of all U.S. visa services.
Nonimmigrant visas—such as visitor, student and many temporary employment visa categories—are separate from immigrant visas.
Applicants in any visa category should nevertheless monitor the specific U.S. embassy or consulate handling their application because appointment availability and local operations can vary.
What Does This Mean for U.S. EB-3 Applicants?
The development is particularly relevant for EB-3 applicants completing their cases through consular processing.
An EB-3 applicant may have progressed through several important stages of the immigration process—including employer sponsorship, labor certification where required, an approved I-140 petition and National Visa Center processing—but still require a final immigrant visa interview at a U.S. embassy or consulate before immigrating to the United States.
If that interview is postponed because of the current training initiative, the applicant's final visa processing could consequently be delayed.
However, it is important to distinguish an interview scheduling delay from cancellation of the underlying immigration case.
The current interview disruption does not, by itself, mean that:
The EB-3 program has been cancelled
An approved I-140 petition has been cancelled
An applicant's priority date has been lost
The applicant has automatically been refused an immigrant visa
EB-3 applicants should continue following instructions from the National Visa Center (NVC) and their designated U.S. embassy or consulate.
What Should Applicants With Scheduled Interviews Do?
Applicants affected by the temporary interview pause should remain prepared rather than assuming their cases have been cancelled.
If you have an immigrant visa interview scheduled, consider the following steps:
Monitor your email carefully for notices from the National Visa Center or U.S. embassy/consulate.
Do not assume a cancelled appointment means a visa refusal.
Keep your supporting and financial documents updated.
Monitor the validity of time-sensitive documents.
Follow instructions from the embassy or consulate regarding rescheduling.
Avoid relying on unofficial social media claims about specific reopening dates.
Continue preparing for your interview unless instructed otherwise.
Applicants should also ensure that the relevant authorities have their current email address and other contact information.
Could This Create Additional U.S. Immigrant Visa Backlogs?
There is a possibility of additional delays.
If a significant number of interviews are postponed worldwide, U.S. embassies and consulates will eventually need to accommodate those applicants alongside newly eligible cases.
The extent of any resulting backlog will depend on several factors, including:
How long the training-related disruption lasts
The number of appointments affected at each consular post
Individual embassy and consulate capacity
How quickly postponed interviews are rescheduled
At present, applicants should be cautious about claims predicting an exact delay of a particular number of weeks or months because no definitive worldwide resumption date has been officially announced.
Does the Pause Affect Adjustment of Status Cases Inside the United States?
Applicants already inside the United States who are eligible to pursue permanent residence through Adjustment of Status generally follow a different process administered by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The current development concerns immigrant visa interviews conducted through Department of State consular processing abroad.
It should therefore not automatically be interpreted as a pause in USCIS Adjustment of Status adjudications inside the United States.
Is This the Same as the Earlier 75-Country Immigrant Visa Policy?
No. The current worldwide interview disruption should be distinguished from the earlier 2026 State Department policy affecting immigrant visa issuance for nationals of certain countries based on public-charge concerns.
The present development involves a global consular training initiative and adjustment of immigrant visa interview appointments, rather than simply the continuation of that earlier country-specific policy.
Applicants should therefore avoid confusing the two developments.
When Will U.S. Immigrant Visa Interviews Resume?
As of August 26, 2026, the U.S. Department of State has not announced a definitive worldwide date for normal immigrant visa interview scheduling to resume.
This is therefore a developing situation.
Individual embassies and consulates may communicate directly with affected applicants regarding cancelled, postponed or rescheduled appointments.
Applicants should rely primarily on official communication from:
U.S. Department of State
National Visa Center
The U.S. embassy or consulate handling their case
Key Takeaway for U.S. Immigration Applicants
The most important point is that the current development represents a temporary disruption to immigrant visa interviews associated with enhanced public charge training for U.S. consular officers.
It should not automatically be interpreted as a cancellation of U.S. permanent immigration programs.
Likewise, applicants whose interviews are postponed should not assume that their petitions have been cancelled or their visas refused.
For employment-based applicants, including U.S. EB-3 applicants, preparation remains important. Applicants should keep their documentation current, follow official instructions and be ready to proceed when their interviews are rescheduled.
Stay Updated with Jaggi Consultants
U.S. immigration policies and consular procedures are changing rapidly, and new developments can directly affect applicants at different stages of the immigration process.
Jaggi Consultants closely follows developments relating to U.S. immigration, EB-3 employment-based immigration, immigrant visa processing, Visa Bulletin movements, National Visa Center processing, consular interviews and other important U.S. immigration policy changes.
We will continue monitoring this worldwide immigrant visa interview situation and provide further updates as reliable information becomes available.
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Disclaimer
This article is published for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. U.S. immigration laws, policies and consular procedures may change without notice, and the effect of any policy may vary depending on an applicant's individual circumstances and immigration category. Applicants should follow official instructions from the U.S. Department of State, USCIS, National Visa Center and the relevant U.S. embassy or consulate.
For personalised immigration advice, contact Jaggi Consultants.