04/23/2020
On April 22, 2020 President Trump issued an Executive Order suspending new immigrant visas for 60 days. The order applies only to individuals outside the United States seeking immigrant visas. The order exempts those who are essential workers: including medical personnel, spouses and children of U.S. citizens, members of the Armed Forces, individuals designated by law enforcement, prospective foreign adoptees of U.S. citizens and prospective EB-5 investor visa users.
Based on the information available, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services is not expected to stop adjudicating cases, either new cases or pending cases. The executive order does not apply to non-immigrant visas, such as H1B.
Since March, US Consulates around the world have been closed. USCIS has suspended interviews and biometric processing. Travel between the US, Canada has been closed, and the Department of Homeland Security has just announced that the U.S., Canada and Mexico have agreed to extend restrictions on non-essential travel for an additional 30 days.