Recently, the U.S. Department of State announced a pause on the issuance of certain immigrant visas for applicants from 75 countries, including Thailand. Since then, many news reports and social media posts have misunderstood or misstated what this policy actually means.
In this video, we’ll clarify what the policy does and does not do, and discuss what Thai nationals — along with their spouses or fiancés — should know if they have already applied for, or are considering applying for, a U.S. visa.
This information is based on official Department of State guidance and on the recent experiences of our K-1 and CR-1 visa applicants interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok.
First, let’s explain what the State Department is actually doing.
The Department of State has paused the issuance of immigrant visas for nationals of Thailand and 74 other countries while it reviews how consular officers apply “public charge” inadmissibility standards. The stated purpose of the review is to ensure that applicants for lawful permanent residence — green cards — are unlikely to become dependent on public benefits in the United States.
As of January 21, 2026, U.S. embassies and consulates were instructed to stop issuing affected immigrant visas until further notice. However, it is important to understand what this does not mean.
The U.S. government has not stopped accepting or processing immigrant visa petitions. USCIS continues to accept, process, and approve petitions, including CR-1 spouse visa petitions. The National Visa Center also continues to create cases and schedule interviews, and the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok continues conducting immigrant visa interviews.
What has changed is the final issuance step.
After the interview, consular officers may no longer retain the applicant’s passport for visa printing. Instead, many cases are being placed into administrative processing or temporary refusal status under INA 221(g) pending further guidance from the State Department. Applicants are generally being told that the embassy will contact them later either to request the passport for visa issuance or to provide a final decision. At this time, there is no announced end date for the pause.
Now, regarding K-1 fiancé visas, there has been significant confusion.
Technically, the K-1 visa is classified as a nonimmigrant visa because it allows entry into the United States for 90 days for the purpose of marriage. After marriage, the applicant may apply for adjustment of status to become a permanent resident.
The current State Department directive specifically targets immigrant visas and does not expressly include K-1 visas. Based on our recent experience with applicants interviewed at the U.S. Embassy in Bangkok, K-1 visa interviews and issuances do appear to be continuing.
However, consular officers are exercising broad discretion and increased scrutiny in K-1 cases.
For example, in one recent case, a client’s passport was initially retained for visa issuance following the interview. Two days later, however, the applicant received a request to provide links and access information for all active social media accounts as part of additional screening.
We will continue monitoring State Department announcements, visa bulletins, and developments at the embassy level, and we’ll provide updates as new guidance becomes available.
At present, USCIS has not announced new formal regulations expanding the “public charge” rule to include non-cash benefits such as Medicaid or food assistance. However, consular officers still retain broad authority under existing immigration law to evaluate whether an applicant may become a public charge.
This uncertainty is understandably stressful, especially for families who have already spent months — or years — in the immigration process.
For those considering filing a K-1 or CR-1 petition, the early stages of the process remain largely unaffected. USCIS is still accepting and processing petitions under current rules. In practical terms, delaying the filing of a petition until the pause is lifted may only result in a longer overall wait time because you would not yet be in the processing queue.
Finally, one important piece of good news:
The State Department’s directive does not apply to most nonimmigrant visas, including tourist visas, student visas, and many temporary work visas. Those applications continue to be processed and adjudicated in the normal course.
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