DV interviews resume following lifting of suspension; most visa applications rejected

LOS ANGELES:- The U.S. State Department has scheduled interviews or re-interviews for approximately 147 Diversity Visa applicants since the end of August. This progress follows the move by U.S. embassies and consulates to resume processing in compliance with court orders lifting the suspensions on immigrant and Diversity Visa procedures. These figures were revealed in a government filing submitted to the federal court on Monday.

The government has informed a federal court in California that interviews have been scheduled for the first time for approximately 41 Diversity Visa applicants between August 29 and September 13. During this same period, follow-up interviews have also been scheduled for about 106 applicants who had previously been interviewed but required further interviews.

By the time the government report was prepared, only about 11 of those interviews and re-interviews had been completed. The government has stated that the majority of the interviews have been scheduled for future dates.

This is the first comprehensive overview released by the government regarding Diversity Visa interview activities since a federal court ordered the resumption of cases affected by the now-revoked ban on immigrant and Diversity Visas. The State Department stated that compiling the data took time because information regarding interview schedules had to be gathered manually from embassies and consulates worldwide.

The State Department has stated that the ban on Diversity Visas is no longer in effect as of August 28. On that day, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued an order granting preliminary relief in the ‘Medani v. Trump’ case.

Similarly, the State Department has announced that the separate ban on immigrant visas is no longer in effect as of August 21. The department made this decision following the ruling in the *Rubio v. Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc.* case at the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

Citizens of 75 countries, including Nepal, were affected by the ban on immigrant visas. This impacted applicants for family- and employment-based immigrant visas, as well as certain applicants selected for diversity visas for the 2026 fiscal year.

Through a cable sent to U.S. embassies and consulates worldwide on September 10, the State Department formally rescinded previous directives that had suspended the issuance of immigrant and diversity visas. Under the new directive, embassies have been instructed to identify and re-examine cases that were refused under Section 221(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act solely due to those suspensions.

If necessary, consular officers may request missing documents, schedule new interviews, and approve the issuance of a visa, provided the applicant meets all other criteria under U.S. immigration law.

However, the lifting of the suspension does not mandate the automatic issuance of all visas. An applicant’s visa may still be refused due to individual circumstances—such as incomplete documentation, an expired medical examination, pending security checks, or ineligibility based on other legal grounds.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that it has updated its websites to reflect the revocation of these policies. Embassies and consulates have been instructed to remove any remaining references to the restrictions from their own websites and those managed by service providers, as well as to review local online information.

In its filing, the government states that the September 10 directive outlines the process for implementing the California court order and related rulings. It addresses the cases of applicants who were previously denied visas due to the ban on Diversity Visas or immigrant visas.

In accordance with the directive from the Department of State, a chronological review will be conducted for Fiscal Year 2026 Diversity Visa cases that were refused due to the suspension of Diversity Visas on or after December 20, 2025, and for immigrant visa cases that were refused due to the suspension affecting 75 countries on or after January 21, 2026.

Before considering other grounds for refusal, if a prior refusal under Section 221(g) was based on a single reason, the consular officer must waive it. A determination will then be made as to whether the applicant meets all other criteria.

Embassies may contact the applicant via email or other written means if additional medical examinations, civil or financial documents, security clearance information, or an in-person interview are required.

According to the government, embassies and consulates have started contacting Diversity Visa applicants after receiving new directives on September 10.