{"id":"AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION-060","kind":"order","level":"federal","jurisdiction":"United States Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs (federal agency)","state":"","metro":"","industry":"","agency":"FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION","eco":"","issuer":"Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs","authority":"8 U.S.C. 1104(a), 1201(a), 1202(h)","instrument":"Suspension of Routine Visa Services (Mar. 20, 2020)","title":"Suspension of Routine Visa Services","dateIssued":"2020-03-20","effective":"2020-03-20","end":"2020-07-14 onward, post by post (Ex. 061); routine services not fully restored in most posts through 2021","startDate":"2020-03-20","endDate":"2020-07-14","quarters":["2020Q2","2020Q3","2020Q4","2021Q1","2021Q2","2021Q3"],"types":["TRAV","CRT","CLOSE"],"addressees":["all immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants worldwide","U.S. employers sponsoring or awaiting foreign workers, students and business visitors"],"clause":"In response to significant worldwide challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of State is temporarily suspending routine visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates. Embassies and consulates will cancel all routine immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments as of March 20, 2020, but will continue to provide emergency and mission critical visa services as resources allow.","enforcement":"Consular appointments cancelled; no visa issued without an interview except under interview-waiver authority (INA 222(h))","functions":["HR hiring of every category of foreign worker (H-1B, H-2A, H-2B, L-1, O-1, TN, J-1) halted at the consular stage from Mar. 20, 2020","LB seasonal labor (the predicate recited in the DHS H-2A and H-2B rules, Ex. 003, 004)","CB international customers, students and business visitors (B-1/B-2, F-1) barred from obtaining visas","TR"],"notes":"The single instrument that interrupted the international labor and customer pipeline of every industry; its own words fix the date.","sourceUrl":"https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/suspension-of-routine-visa-services.html","snapshot":"https://web.archive.org/web/20200401210636/https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/News/visas-news/suspension-of-routine-visa-services.html","fileExists":true,"fileBytes":25546,"grade":"primary","character":"","description":"","collection":"AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION","url":"/library/AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION-060","exhibitUrl":"/exhibit/AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION-060","citation":"Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Suspension of Routine Visa Services (Mar. 20, 2020) (Ex. AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION-060)","stateName":"","related":["AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION-062"]}