Hamilton: DV visas issued

In December 2025, the State Department paused diversity visa issuance: applicants could still apply and be interviewed, but no diversity visas were issued. As of August 28, 2026, under a court order in Medani v. Trump, the State Department says the pause is no longer in effect. Its notice, updated August 31, 2026, still shows the December announcement of the pause below that statement.

Eligibility for a DV-2026 visa ends on September 30, 2026, the end of the fiscal year, and visas may run out before then.

Sources: State Department: Diversity Visa Issuance Updated Guidance; State Department: Update on Diversity Visa (DV) Program 2026; BAL Immigration News: State Department update on diversity visa issuance pause.

Last checked Sep 25, 2026.

In August 2026, U.S. embassies and consulates reportedly postponed immigrant visa interviews while their consular officers were trained on new public charge guidance: rules on whether an applicant is likely to depend on public benefits. They emailed applicants with interviews booked that the interviews would be rescheduled. The State Department acknowledged the pause in a statement on August 25, but it has posted no notice about it on its website.

On August 26, a State Department statement quoted by Fox News said its training initiative started in early August. On August 27, the Associated Press quoted a State Department official saying that the pause began in early August and was not expected to last beyond early to mid-September. The official said the interviews affected, most of them scheduled for August, would be rescheduled for September, October and November.

The latest report we have found, from Reuters on September 8, said that processing had started again for Hungary and Poland while the pause continued elsewhere, and that it could last months, according to a person familiar with the matter. Reuters also said that the pause came after the August 21 court ruling against the 75-country pause, and that the government told a court interviews were rescheduled through August 31. We have found no report on whether the pause is still in effect.

If your interview was postponed, or is coming up, check your email and the embassy's website: NVC and embassies may reschedule interviews, including ones already booked.

Sources: Fox News: Trump admin pauses visa appointments worldwide amid heightened screening for applicants (August 26, 2026); Associated Press, via NBC News: Trump administration pauses all immigrant visa applications amid new screening policy (August 27, 2026); Ogletree: State Department Pauses Immigrant Visa Interviews for New Public Charge Guidance Training (August 31, 2026); Reuters, via Yahoo News: US resumes immigrant visa processing for Hungary, Poland as pause remains elsewhere (September 8, 2026).

Last checked Sep 25, 2026.