US Resumes Immigrant Visa Processing for Hungary, Poland

President Donald Trump’s administration has resumed processing immigrant visa applications from Hungary and Poland, even as immigrant visa appointments remain temporarily paused across many other U.S. diplomatic missions worldwide, according to people familiar with the decision.

The White House directed U.S. missions to prioritize immigrant visa processing for applicants from Poland and Hungary, two sources said. The reason for granting the countries special treatment was not immediately clear.

Trump and senior administration officials have maintained close ties with nationalist political figures in both countries. Trump publicly backed former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban before his election defeat in April and has supported Polish President Karol Nawrocki, whose nationalist policies have clashed with Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s centrist government.

The move comes amid the Trump administration’s broader effort to tighten both illegal and legal immigration. Washington has imposed travel restrictions on dozens of countries, introduced higher fees for some employment visas and expanded social media screening requirements for visa applicants.

In January, the State Department suspended immigrant visa processing in 75 countries, citing concerns that applicants could become a “public charge” by relying on government benefits after arriving in the United States.

A federal court disrupted that policy on August 21 when U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ruled the suspension “patently unlawful.” The State Department subsequently instructed missions worldwide to cancel immigrant visa appointments while consular staff underwent new training on evaluating applicants’ ability to financially support themselves.

The department publicly confirmed the global pause on August 25. Court filings indicated interviews were initially being rescheduled through August 31, although the training and certification process could cause disruptions to continue for months.

The impact is potentially significant because U.S. embassies and consulates conduct hundreds of thousands of immigrant visa interviews annually. In 2024, during former President Joe Biden’s administration, roughly 600,000 immigrant visas were issued.

Applicants from countries including Brazil, Colombia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Bosnia and Albania were among those affected by the earlier suspension. Visa applicants from several countries have also reported September appointment cancellations, highlighting continued uncertainty over when normal U.S. immigrant visa processing will fully resume.