Consular sections across the globe have begun issuing interview notices again after the State Department, on September 23, formally lifted a worldwide hold on immigrant-visa (IV) interviews that had been in place since January 2026 for nationals of 75 countries deemed at high risk of public-benefits reliance. The move follows an August 21 federal-district-court ruling that vacated the underlying policy and a September 10 internal cable (26 STATE 88862) instructing posts to resume normal processing. Embassies from Lagos to Islamabad immediately reopened online scheduling portals, but appointment availability varies widely; Mumbai’s first IV slots are in November, while Warsaw is already booking for early October. Diversity-Visa 2026 selectees, whose fiscal-year filing deadline is September 30, have been given blanket extensions through December 15 to complete interviews—a critical concession for employers sponsoring EB-3 dependents stuck in the DV pipeline. HR teams with pending green-card cases should watch the National Visa Center’s “Documentarily Qualified” queue, which ballooned during the pause. Practitioners report that cases with medicals older than six months may require re-exams. Sponsors should budget additional time and costs for updated police certificates and translations. While the policy reversal removes a major bottleneck, advocates caution that capacity constraints persist: many consulates are still operating with reduced staffing levels and must also accommodate Afghan and Ukrainian humanitarian parolees. Companies planning year-end start dates for transferees should confirm whether local posts offer emergency scheduling for time-sensitive hires.
