Immigrant Visa Pause Update, October 30, 2026: A Re-Interview Approval Turned on Debts Nobody Knew About, Rio Postpones a Returning-Resident Interview, and Guatemala City Sets a November Date
Post by post
| Embassy | Status | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Guatemala City | Called back | Re-interview set for 12 November, the only recent date heard of (second-hand) |
| Islamabad | Approved | IR1 approved; the post holds the new passport for issuance |
| Rio de Janeiro | Cancelled | SB-1 returning-resident interview for 17 Nov rescheduled with no new date |
| Montreal | No decision | CR1 approved in June, passport sent back until the training ends |
| Tokyo | No decision | CR1 turned away on 10 Sept still has no date; L-1B approved 8 Oct still held |
| Manila | No decision | CR1 cancelled for 27 Aug: three CEAC touches this week, still Ready |
| San Salvador | No decision | Callers told rescheduling has begun; nobody has posted a new date |
| Tegucigalpa | No decision | IR1 with an approved I-601A in processing 90 days, nothing requested |
Day 70. A busier Thursday: 19 new records, most of them people still waiting, and one approval with a lesson attached.
Approved, after explaining debts nobody knew about
A spouse from one of the 75 pause countries, first refused under the pause in March, was re-interviewed at a European post on 23 October. The interview took about an hour and ended in a verbal approval; the visa arrived and the applicant landed in the US on 29 October. Not a plaintiff. The surprise came mid-interview: the officer pointed to outstanding debts on the petitioner's credit history that neither spouse had known about, and asked for an explanation. The applicant's advice to everyone still waiting is to pull a consumer report on the petitioner before a second interview, so any balance can be settled or explained in advance. Almaty already asks for a personal credit report from the applicant; this case suggests officers look at the US side too. It is now in the re-interview guide.
Rio postpones a returning-resident interview
A child permanent resident outside the US since April 2025 had a returning-resident (SB-1) interview booked at Rio de Janeiro for 17 November, after the DS-117 was approved in June. On 21 October the family was told it had been rescheduled, with no new date, and nothing has come since. SB-1 is an immigrant visa, so the hold reaches it too. Applicants also relay that Rio is putting re-interviews of earlier pause cases first.
Dates and approvals
Guatemala City has a re-interview set for 12 November, relayed second-hand and the only recent appointment anyone in the thread had heard of. In Islamabad an IR1 was approved and the post is holding the new passport for issuance; if your passport changed, open a message-centre ticket in the scheduling portal, which people say updates the profile in two to three days.
Still waiting
A Montreal CR1 approved at a June interview, passport kept and nothing requested, still has no visa almost five months on; the post sent the passport back saying it will make contact when the training ends, and two congressional inquiries got the same reply. At Tokyo, a CR1 rebooked as a military filing and turned away on 10 September still has no date. A Manila CR1 cancelled for 27 August saw three CEAC updates this week and still shows Ready, which, as others note, tells you nothing. San Salvador and Buenos Aires callers are told rescheduling has begun, yet no one has posted a new date. Tegucigalpa has an IR1 with an approved I-601A in administrative processing for 90 days with nothing requested. The pause status table and the cancellations tracker are updated.
Work and visitor visas
Two Chennai cases moved fast: a first H-4 interviewed 20 October was held only for social media links, approved the next day and had the passport back on 26 October, and an H-1B interviewed 23 October went to Issued on 27 October. Hyderabad is slower: an H-1B held for social media links on 8 October is still Refused after more than 20 days. At Tashkent a visitor applicant asked about AI work and years in China was put in administrative processing, passport kept. Our 221(g) guide has the wait times we track.