Presidential Proclamation 10052, which temporarily suspended the entry of certain H-1B, H-2B, J (for certain categories within the Exchange Visitor Program), and L nonimmigrants, expired on March 31, 2021.
According to the U.S. Department of State, visa applicants who have not yet been interviewed or scheduled for an interview will have their applications prioritized and processed in accordance with existing phased resumption of visa services guidance.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila maintains limited routinary services given the current local condition in the Philippines and given the limited staffing resources. There is no specific date when the U.S. Embassy in Manila will resume full routinary visa services but the consular officer will continue to provide emergency and mission-critical visa services.
As of March 15, 2021, the U.S. Embassy in Manila is processing the following limited number of cases:
Immigrant Visa:
- Cases for applicants previously interviewed and refused under INA Section 221(g) for additional document submission or processing.
- Interviews for any case with a derivative applicant who is turning 21 years old and risks losing eligibility as a child.
- Interviews for Immediate Relative family members of U.S. citizens, including intercountry adoptions: IR-1, CR-1, IR-2, CR-2, IR-3, IH-3, IR-4, IH-4, and IR-5.
- Expedite-approved mission critical cases, such as fiancé(e)s of U.S. citizens and their children (K-1, K-2) if there is a terminal eligibility deadline (age out or one year issuance deadline for K-1 of an issued K-1 approaching) or active U.S. military petitioners as well as employment-based (EB-3) immigrants with healthcare positions on a case-to-case basis.
- Visa interviews for all other immigrant visa categories remain suspended until local conditions and capacity allows.
Nonimmigrant Visa:
The Embassy continues to prioritize travelers with urgent travel needs, foreign diplomats, and certain mission-critical categories of travelers such as those coming to assist with the U.S. response to the pandemic, followed by students and exchange visitors (F-1, M-1, and J-1) and temporary employment visas).
Visa appointments and processing for B1/B2 (Business/Tourist) remain suspended.
