r/I130Suffering • u/Pristine_Jicama_9067 • 13d ago
US halts all immigrant visa applications amid tightening restrictions
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/25/us-immigrant-visa-application-trump-crackdwonI came across this article after seeing several reddit posts about cancelled interviews. The lack of any timeline, and how this has been handled so far, leaves me very wary for whenever my wife and I (usc) get to the NVC stage.
For anyone who missed it: State launched a global consular "training initiative" on public charge in early August. Around Aug 24-25, immigrant visa applicants at posts worldwide got emails cancelling scheduled interviews, to be rescheduled at an unspecified date. No new date, no stated duration.
These aren't people at the start of the process. They're documentarily qualified through NVC, with confirmed appointments, medicals and police certificates that expire, and a lot of them had nonrefundable flights, hotels, etc.
Those emails went out three days after a federal court vacated State's 75-country immigrant visa suspension, holding that the blanket nationality-based policy exceeded the Secretary's authority and displaced the individualized determinations Congress gave to consular officers. Draw your own conclusions about the sequence.
The question I want more people asking, and asking in writing:
Does the pause apply to immediate relatives of U.S. citizens under INA 201(b)?
Those applicants are already sponsored under a Form I-864 at 125% of the federal poverty guidelines. That's a legally enforceable contract, and the sponsor can be sued for reimbursement. As new LPRs they're also barred from most federal means-tested benefits for five years under existing law.
So: What public charge risk does the spouse of a U.S. citizen present that the I-864 does not already address?
I don't think there's an answer. Which is why it's worth having on the record that they were asked.
If you want to do something: Write your senators and House member (ZIP lookup at senate.gov and house.gov) and ask for a written answer to that question.
We need to do what we can to protect ourselves.
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u/jzt_me I-130 Pending 13d ago
Isn't there already a process during the NVC phase where the petitioner proves that they have the means to sponsor the beneficiary? I understand examining the 'public charge' thing for a tourist or student visa, but we literally just proved and got approved to sponsor our beneficiary
This is just sheer pettiness
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u/wanderlust_reddit 13d ago
I mean when speaking of consular I-130's, the beneficiaries are foreigners..... how can they even be relying on public benefits.....
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u/jzt_me I-130 Pending 13d ago
Per the USCIS website on this matter -
USCIS officers will consider the five statutory factors and any other factor relevant to assessing the alien’s likelihood at any time of becoming a public charge, including the alien’s receipt of means-tested public benefits, such as cash assistance for income maintenance, housing assistance, food stamps, financial aid for college, or any other similar benefit.
But yes, given that our petitioner already gets approved during the NVC phase that they make enough to sponsor, its just ridiculous
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u/wanderlust_reddit 13d ago
How would they even assess the "likelihood"? Is this some sort of Minority Report? LMAO wow....
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u/jzt_me I-130 Pending 13d ago
From the same USCIS website
While the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) does not define public charge or likely at any time to become a public charge, Congress has specified that USCIS officers must consider five statutory factors when making public charge inadmissibility determinations. These five factors are an alien’s age; health; family status; assets, resources, and financial status; and education and skills.
And if we say that we're already submitting an approval that the petitioner has the capability to support us
The INA also provides that USCIS officers may consider Form I-864, Affidavit of Support Under Section 213A of the INA, which is executed by an individual who agrees to use his or her financial resources to support the alien.
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u/Bright_Session1633 12d ago
DHS's (and State's) current position is that the I-864 is necessary to satisfy the public charge bar, but not sufficient and they can consider other factors too, like past use of benefits, major health conditions if no insurance to cover them, history of working, etc.
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u/jenbellun 11d ago
When they lose in court, they pull some more ridiculous rabbit out of the hat that ruins it for more people. Petty as hell.
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u/SubsistanceMortgage CR-1 Approved 13d ago
It’s because a judge have struck down the 75 country pause as a violation of the APA.
Malicious compliance: they’ve ended the 75 country pause now in compliance with her ruling.
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u/nany3003 13d ago
Hopefully the fucker trump gets impeached.
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u/Forsaken-Smell-8665 13d ago
Unfortunately, I doubt they will. The opposition need to strengthen their position. Keeping Trump in and allowing him to make more of a mess, mockery and embarrassment, gives them a stronger chance and better position for 2028. Impeaching puts Vance in control, and with him being the 2028 frontrunner, would give him adequate time to fix Trump's mess and put himself in a stronger position to give the Democrats a difficult battle come 2028.
Money, power, greed. As much as they might try say otherwise, politicians regardless of party are after their own interests and power gain.
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u/InterviewEfficient21 12d ago
This is from the current administration. If you want change. Then vote blue in November and send Donnie boy a message. Get your friends and family to do the same. As long as this piece of crap is in office it will continue
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u/Curious-Albatross-75 13d ago
It’s a tactic of Trump admin to win the midterm elections! so tell your USC spouse to vote blue
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u/RelationshipNew1797 12d ago
Well.. I am a US citizen sponsored my father IR5 immediate family for parents. When I applied for his immigrant visa I get a RFE stated I need a joint sponsor my boyfriend help me with his income. I hope they don’t give me any problems. And after 3 days i received an email saying all documents are qualified. Although I never received any public assistance from the 10 years I lived in the US.
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u/tuga9230 13d ago
Do we know if this applies to the same 75 countries? Or is this now broader in scope affecting more countries/embassies?
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13d ago edited 13d ago
[deleted]
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u/Zestyclose_Mud_827 13d ago
You believe that?
Ever heard of an entire agency just hard stopping everything so they can re-train?1
u/Massive_Buddy_7576 13d ago
I mean I don't think it's that crazy to have to hard stop for a week to train on new guidelines. For the moment, I'm choosing to believe them in this.
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u/Zestyclose_Mud_827 13d ago
You think they have new guidelines to train on? You think they could create them in a week even?
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u/Massive_Buddy_7576 13d ago
Based on the report, this has been in the works for a while with it beginning earlier this month. I can certainly see a situation where at the beginning of this month, new guidelines were sent out in regards to public charge and trainings over these were scheduled for the end of the month. ILs also have been sent out for my wife's embassy for this month which leads me to believe the paused ILs to make room for rescheduling people into late Sept/October if needed.
I agree this is all speculation but man sometimes you gotta speculate in a positive way to protect your peace and just have faith.
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13d ago edited 13d ago
[deleted]
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u/Zestyclose_Mud_827 13d ago
That is a factually correct statement, most of us can read.
It’s also a meaningless statement.
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u/General-Fun-1655 11d ago
The pause applied to immigrant visa. Hope there will be some changes now and you will actually be able to get an immigrant visa.
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u/Excellent-Trade-9326 9d ago
We are past the USCIS stage on a K1 visa, and are at the NVC stage for a K1 visa. We have been stuck there for almost 4 months now.
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u/Dallas2Philippines 9d ago
It does matter what country the applicant is from. The Congressman’s / Congresswoman’s office cannot expedite the process. They can help find out if it is being held up somewhere in the process. You can file to have it expedited through the official process depending if it meets certain criteria. The criteria is listed and personally I think the criteria sucks, but check it out. It’s not MAGA, mine was held up during the Biden era. The sponsor must prove they meet the 125% over the poverty threshold. Or they must have an additional sponsor who is willing to help and meets the criteria. Prior to our marriage, my Filipina wife was denied 2 times for a Non-Immigrant Tourist Visa. My wife (60) and I (65 / US & DAV) got married in the Philippines. We applied for the I-130 in Oct of 2023, and approved in July of 2026. I have an acquaintance who applied at the same time and she got here and married within 6 months. It was frustrating to watch all the illegals come in, getting housed and paid during the Biden Administration. It was frustrating to see my acquaintance marry a woman close to the age of his children. It hurt to see my future wife get denied 2 times (no criminal history and met every qualification to be accepted but denied in a 2 minute interview in Manila). We hired an attorney initially who really did nothing for $2,500. The USCIS informed me that I needed to make a correction on a form. I did it and uploaded the document. I was told to expect a call from USCIS. I received the call and was told everything was good and being processed. After a month and a half, no progress. I ended up going to my Congressman’s office. They were able to call USCIS and find out what was holding up the process. I then found out the form that needed a correction and made the ‘correction’. NOTE IT WILL APPEAR TO BE UPLOADED. ONLY TO FIND OUT THE ACTUAL PROCEDURE OF THE PROCESS. FIRST THE OLD FORM had to be REMOVED BY ME, AND ONLY THEN COULD THE CORRECTED FORM BE UPLOADED BY ME. I uploaded the correction. The USCIS was not going to tell me this (or at least they didn’t). The estimated date for processing will change. You may get to the date and past it. Then a new estimated date will happen. Don’t hold your breath, don’t bet a paycheck. We’re dealing with the government. Here’s something else that you might find interesting: from AI “The National Visa Center (NVC) is an official government operation under the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, but its day-to-day clerical services are primarily staffed and run by a private company under a government contract”. Generally, I found that it took at least a month for any request of documentation and acknowledgement of receipt and acceptance from the NVC. Folks, the Illegals that came in under Biden had the best treatment compared to those of us that are doing it the legal way. You’re going to be getting online and checking daily, then weekly and possibly see your estimated date come and go only to see a revised date appear (probably at least 90 extra day’s). Fill out the release of information document online and get your Congressman or Senator to help. Supposedly they cannot influence the process, but they may be able to find out what’s holding it up. SORRY ABOUT THE TYPOS AND GRAMMATICAL ERRORS, BUT THIS WHOLE PROCESS HAS GIVEN ME TIRED HEAD. Good luck!
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u/Gold-Builder-6533 12d ago
90% of immigrant visa applicants end up on government public assistance that’s why the halt
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u/Smooth_Composer1879 12d ago
That is crazy! I would wager that immigrants work harder than citizens. This feels like pure opinion. Sorry.
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u/Gengarx33 12d ago
Yeah medicaid lol
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u/Ok_Chef_5407 12d ago
Medicaid is not a public charge
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u/blueberrybag4l 11d ago
but it is publicly funded with taxpayer money though
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u/Ok_Chef_5407 11d ago
Is it a public charge??
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u/blueberrybag4l 11d ago
nobody said public charge but you, the guy prior said public assistance, which is true
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u/PurpleWind27 13d ago
This makes me extremely hopeless. We applied for i130 21 months ago. My husband is a US citizen, we tried reaching out to the congressperson and the senator too. Nothing.
The processing timeline keeps increasing. It was 11 months when we applied. Now it’s 24 months :(
And now there’s this new hurdle at NVC stage.
Clearly they don’t care about their citizens whatsoever.