U.S. Restarts Immigrant Visa Processing for Hungary and Poland Amid Global Pause
The United States has resumed immigrant visa processing for applicants in Hungary and Poland while keeping a temporary suspension in place for most other countries.
The White House directed U.S. missions in Hungary and Poland to restart processing immigrant visa applications, officials said, even as a broader pause on such visas continues worldwide. The reason for singling out the two nations was not immediately explained, though the administration has cultivated political allies in both countries.
In May, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau reportedly ordered senior State Department officials to assist a former Polish cabinet minister seeking a visa after fleeing corruption charges in Hungary. A State Department spokesperson declined to comment on the specific reasons for resuming processing in the two countries.
"Whenever there are updated instructions for visa applicants or changes to visa interview appointments, embassies and consulates communicate this information directly to visa applicants," the spokesperson said anonymously.
The broader pause, announced in January, halted immigrant visa interviews in 75 countries deemed high risk for applicants becoming a public charge. A federal judge later struck down the policy as unlawful, prompting the State Department to cancel appointments worldwide while staff undergo new training on assessing applicants' financial self-sufficiency. The training program could keep the global suspension in effect for months.
U.S. consulates typically conduct hundreds of thousands of immigrant visa interviews each year, primarily for relatives of U.S. citizens or permanent residents. In 2024, about 600,000 immigrant visas were issued.