What exactly has been suspended
US visas fall into two categories, and the dividing line runs exactly between them. Immigrant visas — those used to enter for permanent residence and obtain a green card: family categories, employment-based, investor, and diversity lottery visas. These are the ones that have been suspended. Non-immigrant visas — those used to enter temporarily for a specific purpose — are being issued as before.
There is an important nuance behind the confusion: the procedure has not been suspended — the issuance of visas has. A petition can be filed, the authority will review and approve it, the consulate will schedule and conduct an interview. The process stalls at the point when the visa is to be affixed to the passport. By then, the applicant has already spent both money and a year of their life.
| What this is | Status in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Immigration | permanent relocation, green card | issuance suspended |
| B1/B2 | tourism and business travel | issued |
| F-1 | study | issued |
| O-1 | exceptional ability | issued |
| L-1 | intra-company transfer | issued |
What continues to work in the meantime
The pause did not abolish birthright citizenship, family reunification rights, or employment-based categories — it stopped one specific pathway to status: obtaining a visa at a consulate abroad. Everything that does not go through that step still works.
That is why the picture for 2026 looks like this: temporary entry is open, status can be obtained from inside the country, but the familiar route — apply from abroad, get a visa, then move — is closed. This changes the sequence of steps, not the destination, and people who assumed the US was entirely off the table should know this.
- Non-immigrant visas are issued for: tourism, study, extraordinary ability, intra-company transfer
- Petitions are accepted and processed — only the issuance of the visa is suspended
- A change of status within the US does not require an immigrant visa and is therefore unaffected by the pause
- Birthright citizenship applies: the Supreme Court confirmed it in its ruling of 30 June 2026
- US citizenship by naturalisation for those who already hold a green card follows its own process
Route one: change of status within the USA
If a person is lawfully present in the United States under a nonimmigrant status, they can adjust that status to permanent resident from within the country — using Form I-485, without leaving and without a consular visa. This path has become the primary route since the pause was introduced: it bypasses the step that has been halted.
This route is not open to everyone or from every position: you need lawful presence, a suitable basis and a clean residence history. Overstays, working without a permit and past violations close it faster than anything else. And this needs to be assessed before entry, not after — because arriving on a tourist visa with the intention to stay means compromising the process before it begins.
- Requires lawful status at the time of application — any overstay disqualifies this option
- The USCIS filing fee for Form I-485 is $1,440 and applies from age 14
- A work permit for the duration of processing is applied for separately
- Immigrant intent when entering on a non-immigrant visa is a separate and serious risk
- Length of stay is verified through I-94 records and agency data, not self-reported
Route two: a second passport from a country not on the list
The pause applies to citizenship, not to place of birth or residence. This means a citizen of a country not on the list is not affected and applies under the standard procedure. For someone who already holds or could obtain a second passport, this resolves the question entirely.
Two kinds of caution are needed here. First, we have deliberately chosen not to list the countries: the pause is open-ended, the list changes by agency decision, and this page stays live for months — relevance must be checked as of your filing date, not the publication date. Second, not every second citizenship will work: what matters is the passport under which you are applying and the consulate requirements attached to it.
- The pause is tied to the applicant’s citizenship, not to their country of birth or residence
- A second passport from a country outside the list removes you from its scope entirely
- The list is checked against the version in force on the date of submission — not against articles found online
- Obtaining a second citizenship takes years, except through investment programmes
- Russia has no E-2 treaty with the US — this route via a second passport is sometimes suggested in error
Where to start while the pause is in effect
The first step is not about filing — it is about diagnosis: understanding whether your situation can lead to a visa at all. For most enquiries, the answer becomes clear in a single review, saving either a year of waiting or money spent on a process with a foregone conclusion.
Second — clean up your record in the system, because both remaining paths require a clean history. Unlawful presence, old refusals, an abandoned green card — all of this must either be resolved in advance or it will surface at the worst possible moment.
- Check whether your specific path runs into the pause — or bypasses it
- Pull your I-94, past refusals and accumulated days — before spending anything
- If the route involves a change of status: calculate it BEFORE entry, not after
- If the route runs through a second passport: check the list as of the date of application
- Don’t pay for «applying for a green card through the consulate» while the pause is in effect
Checking your pathway during a pause on immigration visas
- Determining whether your specific path runs into the pause or bypasses it
- We pull your history from the system: I-94, past refusals under 214(b), accumulated unlawful presence, the fate of a previous green card
- We walk through the option of changing status within the US: whether it is available from your current position and what it requires.
- We check your second passport — if you have one or may obtain one — against the current State Department list
- We find a licensed representative where the application must be filed by one — under 8 CFR 292.1
- If the path does not work out — we put that in writing, along with the conditions under which the question can be revisited
A legal consultation — 150 $.Credited toward the full service fee if you continue with us.
During the consultation the lawyer reviews your situation based on your documents and provides filing route: which basis, what will be needed and in what order.
Government fees, notarisation, certified translations and apostille, where required, billed separately at actual cost — we will itemise them for your situation. Processing time depends on the authority and its workload, which is why we do not publish an average figure.
Frequently asked questions
Can a Russian citizen get a green card right now?
Through a consulate abroad — no: the issuance of immigrant visas to Russian citizens has been suspended since 21 January 2026. Adjustment of status to permanent resident from within the US does work, as it does not require an immigrant visa. A second option is applying on the passport of a country not on the list.
Does the pause apply to tourist visas?
No. Only the issuance of immigrant visas has been paused. Non-immigrant categories — B1/B2, F-1, O-1, L-1 — continue to be issued in the normal manner, and applications are processed through the consular posts designated for Russian passport holders.
How long is the pause in effect and when will it be lifted?
No timeline has been announced: the measure is open-ended and remains in force until the authority decides otherwise. Planning a move around the moment it is lifted is therefore not a plan but a waiting game; it makes sense to focus on the routes that are available now.
Does it make sense to file a petition while the pause is in effect?
Sometimes yes — for instance, when the queue date matters and you plan to obtain the status from within the country. But filing it with the expectation of receiving a visa at the consulate once the application is decided makes no sense right now: the process will stall at that step.
Does second citizenship definitely lift the pause?
The pause is tied to the applicant’s citizenship, so a passport from a country not on the current list removes you from its scope. But the list changes by agency decision, and it must be checked as of the date of application. That is why we do not publish the list of countries on this page — we publish how to check it.
Who has the right to file documents with US immigration authorities on my behalf?
Only a state-licensed attorney or a representative accredited by the Department of Justice — under 8 CFR 292.1. Case preparation, documents, translations, and the evidence file do not require a licence, and that is our part of the work; the application is signed by the licensed professional.
Verified August 25, 2026. The thresholds and amounts are tied to indicators that are reviewed annually — check the official source for your country before filing.
Services and prices — openly, before any conversation
- Pathway check under the pause from 21.01.2026150 $
People usually add: ssn — application support — 150 $ · itin via form w-7, if you are not eligible for an ssn — 250 $. Two or more services — 5% off each.
Prices are in US dollars and are all-inclusive — nothing is added on top. Government fees for USCIS and the Department of State are paid separately and directly to the authority: we state the amount and show the receipts. Sales tax in the US is set by the state and city, so we do not quote it as a percentage — the price you see is final.