The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- United States Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs (federal agency)
- Level
- Federal
- Authority
- 8 U.S.C. 1104(a), 1201(a), 1202(h)
- Issued
- 2020-03-20 Mar. 20, 2020
- Effective
- 2020-03-20
- End
- 2020-07-14 onward, post by post (Ex. 061); routine services not fully restored in most posts through 2021 (read as 2020-07-14)
- In force
- Mar. 20, 2020 to July 14, 2020
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Business closureTravel and quarantineCourts and public offices
- Addressees
- all immigrant and nonimmigrant visa applicants worldwide
- U.S. employers sponsoring or awaiting foreign workers, students and business visitors
- Functions reached
- 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
- Collection
- Federal labor and immigration agencies AGY-FED-LABOR-IMMIGRATION
Operative words
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))
Notes
The single instrument that interrupted the international labor and customer pipeline of every industry; its own words fix the date.
Retrieval noteSmall render (text only) of the Apr. 1, 2020 capture; the operative text is complete.