A foreign citizen seeking to immigrate generally must be sponsored by a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident immediate relative(s), or prospective U.S. employer, and have an approved petition before applying for an immigrant visa.
On March 15, 2017, the United States District Court in Hawaii issued a ruling barring the Department from implementing Sections 2 and 6 of Executive Order 13780 suspending visa issuance and entry into the United States. On March 16, 2017, a federal district court for the District of Maryland separately issued a ruling barring the Department from implementing Section 2(c) of the same Executive Order. Both are effective immediately.
As the Executive Order was not yet in effect, U.S. embassies and consulates continue to process visas for nationals of the six countries as before. The Department will suspend implementation of provisions of the Executive Order as required by the relevant court orders.
The National Visa Center will continue to work on in-process cases for these applicants. You should continue to pay fees, complete your Form DS-260 immigrant visa applications, and submit your financial and civil supporting documents to NVC. NVC will review your case file and schedule a visa interview appointment if no additional paperwork is required.
