Temporary Pause on New Student and Exchange Visitor Visa Appointments

U.S. Department of State has temporarily paused the scheduling of new visa interviews for F and J visa applicants to allow for expanded social media screening and vetting procedures. Please know that there are indications that this pause is temporary.

Here’s what you need to know:

• New Appointments: U.S. embassies and consulates have been instructed to remove unfilled visa appointment slots for F and J categories.
• Existing Appointments: Visa interviews that were already scheduled will proceed as planned. Applicants should continue to monitor the website of the U.S. embassy or consulate where they are applying for the latest updates.
• Form I-20/DS-2019 Issuance: Visa and Immigration Services (VIS) will continue issuing Forms I-20/DS-2019 for eligible requests submitted in accessVIS. However, students/scholars won’t be able to schedule a visa appointment until the temporary pause is lifted.
• Potential Delays: While this pause is expected to be temporary, students and scholars seeking new appointments may experience delays in securing visa interviews.

Visa and Immigration Services is actively monitoring the situation and will share updates as new information becomes available.