Jerusalem: J1 visas issued

On February 27, 2026, after allowing non-emergency staff to leave Israel, the State Department said that routine visa processing was not currently available at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and its Branch Office in Tel Aviv. It said applicants with interviews from March 2 to 6 would get an email about a new date when services started again. The notice is still posted, unchanged, and does not say if services have started again.

The State Department's scheduling tool has since moved the month it gives Jerusalem for spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens: from February 2026 in its April 2 update to August 2026 in its September 23 update. Check il.usembassy.gov/visas for the embassy's current status.

Source: State Department: Limited Visa Services Available at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem and Branch Office in Tel Aviv.

Last checked Sep 25, 2026.

Presidential Proclamation 10998 has suspended visas since January 1, 2026, with narrow exceptions. It depends on your nationality, not on the embassy.

All visas are suspended for nationals of Afghanistan, Burma, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Laos, Libya, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, and for anyone traveling on travel documents issued or endorsed by the Palestinian Authority.

All immigrant visas, and B-1/B-2, F, M and J visas, are suspended for nationals of Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burundi, Cote d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominica, Gabon, The Gambia, Malawi, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Venezuela, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

All immigrant visas are suspended for nationals of Turkmenistan.

Spouses, children and parents of U.S. citizens, and Afghan special immigrants, are no longer exempt. You can still apply and be scheduled for an interview, but the State Department says you may not be eligible for a visa. People with two nationalities who apply with the passport of a country not on these lists are exempt.

Source: State Department: Suspension of Visa Issuance to Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States.

Last checked Sep 25, 2026.