The United States has resumed processing immigrant visa applications in Hungary and Poland while a broader pause on immigrant visa appointments remains in place elsewhere, Reuters reported, citing four people familiar with the matter.
The development comes after the Trump administration introduced sweeping measures aimed at restricting both illegal and legal migration. The reason for the decision was not immediately clear. The decision to resume processing in Hungary and Poland comes against the backdrop of President Donald Trump’s close political ties with leaders and nationalist movements in both countries.
The White House directed US missions in the two European countries to prioritize immigrant visa processing last week, according to the Reuters.
Trump has publicly supported Hungary’s former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who lost an April election, as well as Poland’s nationalist President Karol Nawrocki, whose election has brought him into conflict with centrist Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, Reuters reported. Following the ruling, however, the State Department instructed US missions around the world to cancel or reschedule immigrant visa appointments while staff underwent new training. A federal judge later struck down that policy on August 21, ruling that it was unlawful.
The department said the training was designed to help consular officers assess whether applicants could support themselves in the United States without relying on public benefits.
