Mar 18 U.S. to demand bonds of up to $15,000 for visa applications from 12 more countries By Matthew Lee, Associated Press After April 2, there will be 50 countries whose citizens are subject to the requirement, which was rolled out by the Trump administration last year as it cracked down on visa overstays and more broadly moved to curtail illegal migration. Continue reading
Mar 13 State Department slashes fee for renouncing U.S. citizenship by 80% to $450 By Matthew Lee, Associated Press After years of legal battles with several groups representing Americans wanting to give up their citizenship, the department on Friday published a final rule in the Federal Register that reduces the cost from $2,350 to $450. Continue reading
Mar 10 State Department approves up to $40M to evacuate Americans from Mideast on charter flights By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The State Department has authorized the use of up to $40 million in emergency funds to pay for evacuation charter flights for Americans to leave the Middle East because of disruptions in transportation caused by the Iran war. Continue reading
Mar 03 WATCH: Rubio defends U.S. attack on Iran, says State Dept. helping Americans depart region By Associated Press As the U.S. war with Iran continues to spiral, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says the U.S. State Department is working to organize charter flights and military options to help Americans depart the Middle East. Continue reading
Mar 02 State Department urges U.S. citizens to leave more than a dozen Middle Eastern countries By Associated Press U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Mora Namdar posted on the social media site X that Americans in countries including Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Israel should “DEPART NOW” using any available commercial transportation. Continue reading
Feb 23 State Department orders nonessential U.S. diplomats to leave Lebanon as tensions with Iran rise By Matthew Lee, Associated Press Lebanon has been the site of numerous Iran-related retaliatory attacks against the U.S. for decades given Tehran's support for and influence with the Hezbollah militant group. Continue reading
Feb 13 Nonprofit libraries ordered by State Department to stop processing passport applications By Susan Haigh, Associated Press The agency, which regulates U.S. passports, began issuing cease and desist orders to not-for-profit libraries in late fall, informing them they were no longer authorized to participate in the Passport Acceptance Facility program as of Friday. Continue reading
Feb 06 Watch 11:15 Trump administration's visa freeze upends work and life for many U.S. families By Liz Landers, Maea Lenei Buhre This week, the Trump administration was sued for a sweeping pause of immigrant visa processing for people from 75 countries. The freeze, which began last month, comes on top of full or partial travel and visa restrictions on citizens from… Continue watching
Feb 04 WATCH: Rubio holds news conference at State Department critical minerals summit By Associated Press Speaking at a meeting of dozens of countries, Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposed frameworks that will serve as “platforms for coordinating policies” to ensure countries can have abundant and affordable access to critical minerals. Continue reading
Jan 14 State Department suspending immigrant visas for 75 countries, citing public assistance concerns By Matthew Lee, Associated Press The State Department says it will suspend the processing of immigrant visas for citizens of 75 countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States. Continue reading