U.S. Embassy Scheduling Interviews before 31 December?

[SaJU 0]

Hello! I'm a U.S. citizen and my husband is Lebanese. We just got our I-130 petition approved (yay!) and are hoping that my husband can apply soon for the visa. I was told by my lawyer that the current administration has halted all immigration visa processing, including spouses, until 31 December 2020, but I recently saw that two interviews were scheduled at the Beirut Embassy last month. Does anyone have information contradicting what our lawyer said? When I checked the Executive Order, it did mention spouses of U.S. citizens as excluded from the EO but could it be that they meant for couples who had submitted their petitions before the EO was issued? 

[HRQX 4,145]

33 minutes ago, SaJU said:

When I checked the Executive Order, it did mention spouses of U.S. citizens as excluded from the EO

That is correct. IR-1/CR-1 isn't affected by the Proclamation.

33 minutes ago, SaJU said:

I was told by my lawyer that the current administration has halted all immigration visa processing, including spouses, until 31 December 2020,

Your lawyer is very wrong. https://travel.state.gov/content/dam/visas/Statistics/Immigrant-Statistics/MonthlyIVIssuances/AUGUST 2020 - IV Issuances by Post and Visa Class.pdf

Edited October 9, 2020 by HRQX

[Chancy 6,241]

3 hours ago, SaJU said:

I was told by my lawyer that the current administration has halted all immigration visa processing, including spouses, until 31 December 2020, but I recently saw that two interviews were scheduled at the Beirut Embassy last month. Does anyone have information contradicting what our lawyer said?

 

While it is true that routine visa services have been suspended, the US embassy in Lebanon continues to process emergency and mission-critical cases including IR1/CR1.  Though I suspect your lawyer simply exaggerated the suspension announcement, I would expect a lawyer to be precise in his choice of words.  Here is the relevant section from the embassy announcement --

 

"Given the suspension of routine visa processing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and under the restrictions of Presidential Proclamation 10014, at this time U.S. Embassy Beirut can only schedule emergency and mission-critical IV cases, including IR/CR1, IR/CR2, IR/IH3, IR/IH4, SQ/SI-SIVs, certain employment-based healthcare professionals, and cases involving an applicant who is aging out of eligibility."

 

https://lb.usembassy.gov/visas/