The COVID Project
The record
- Jurisdiction
- United States
- Level
- Federal
- Authority
- INA sec. 222(h); 22 CFR 41.102 (interview waiver authority)
- Issued
- 2020-03-26 Mar. 26, 2020
- Effective
- 2020-03-26
- End
- interview-waiver expansions extended through 2021 and 2022 (read as 2021-09-30)
- In force
- Mar. 26, 2020 to Sept. 30, 2021
- Quarters
- 2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
2020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q12021 Q22021 Q3
- Limitation types
- Travel and quarantine
- Addressees
- H-2A and H-2B applicants; consular officers
- Functions reached
- LB (processing 'as permitted by post resources and local government restrictions')
- FP
- HR
- Collection
- Agriculture and Food Processing SEC-20
Operative words
the Department of State temporarily suspended routine visa services at all U.S. Embassies and Consulates as of March 20, 2020... The H-2 program is essential to the economy and food security of the United States and is a national security priority. Therefore, we intend to continue processing H-2 cases as much as possible, as permitted by post resources and local government restrictions.... Consular officers can, if they so choose, now waive the visa interview requirement for first-time and returning H-2 applicants who have no apparent ineligibility
Enforcement
Notes
The Government's own statement that H-2 processing was constrained by post resources and foreign restrictions.