In 2019, the monthly average of immigrant visa cases pending at the National Visa Center (NVC) waiting for an interview was 60,866. Two years later, those numbers have skyrocketed, with the NVC reporting 506,221 immigrant visa applications awaiting interviews in June 2021– an approximately 732 percent increase.

As the NVC confirmed in the February 2021 meeting with the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA), the NVC continues to schedule cases only for posts that can conduct interviews.

DOS has thankfully expanded interview waiver eligibility for NIVs and consular posts are beginning to phase in more routine visa services as shown by the jump in both IV and NIV issuance in March and April 2021.

While things appear to be trending in the right direction, the restrictions brought on by the pandemic have created an enormous IV backlog that continues to rise. 

The US has said that it will reopen its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from 33 countries on 8 November.

Under new rules announced by the White House, vaccinated people who have had a negative test in the 72 hours before travelling will be allowed to enter.

The move marks the end of the tough restrictions that have been imposed on travellers since early last year.

"This policy is guided by public health, stringent and consistent," a White House spokesman said.

The current rules bar entry to most non-US citizens who have been in the UK, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil or a number of European countries within the last 14 days.

However, the policy has caused controversy, as passengers from 150 other countries, many of whom have struggled with high rates of Covid infection, have continued to enter the US freely.

Officials announced that people who have been jabbed with one of the vaccines that are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or have been granted an Emergency Use Listing from the World Health Organization (WHO) will qualify under the system.

The Emergency Use aspect will allow travellers who have received the AstraZeneca jab, widely used in the UK, as well as China's Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, to enter the country.

It was also confirmed that travellers will not be required to go into quarantine upon entering the country.