Interviews will be added from October
Phenomenon due to increase in work visa quota
As the work visa quota more than doubled in the 2022 fiscal year, which begins on October 1, the interview schedule for permanent residency has also been greatly advanced. According to the State Department’s National Visa Center (NVC), there are 33,306 permanent residency interviews scheduled for this month alone, a 75% increase from 18,979 in April.
The U.S. State Department plans to add more permanent residency interview schedules starting in October, when the 2022 fiscal year begins, so that the increased visa quota can be exhausted. Immigration law officials were happy to say, “The increased interview schedule is an encouraging sign.” After the COVID-19 pandemic began, US consulates and embassies around the world urgently closed their offices and drastically shortened their working hours.
In particular, after former President Donald Trump ordered the suspension of issuance of US visas at the end of his term, the issuance of permanent resident cards and interviews were suspended, resulting in an increasing number of applicants who abruptly lost their immigration status. The NVC, which processes visa applications, reports monthly visa balances and status of permanent residency issuance. According to NVC, there are currently 513,887 applicants waiting to be scheduled for an interview. An NVC official said, “We are concentrating on business processes so that we can exhaust all possible visa quotas in the next fiscal year.”
