True or False: During the January 2026 visa suspension, applicants from affected countries can still submit applications and attend visa interviews at U.S. consulates.

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True. According to the State Department, applicants from the 75 affected countries may continue submitting visa applications and attending interviews during the suspension period. However, consular officers will not issue immigrant visas until the reassessment of public charge procedures is complete. This creates a bureaucratic limbo: applicants go through the time-consuming and expensive process—gathering documents, paying fees (often hundreds of dollars), attending interviews—but receive no final decision on their cases. This demonstrates how administrative procedures can function as de facto denials without formally refusing applications, avoiding legal challenges while still blocking immigration. It also allows the government to claim they're not "banning" anyone, just "pausing" processing, even though the practical effect is the same.

True or False: During the January 2026 visa suspension, applicants from affected countries can still submit applications and attend visa interviews at U.S. consulates.

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