How The US Government Shutdown Impacts Visas And Immigration

The US government has shutdown for the first time in seven years after Republicans and Democrats failed to agree to a deal to keep the federal government funded. Several federal services have been disrupted because of it. 

The US Embassy in India posted on X, "At this time, scheduled passport and visa services in the United States and at US Embassies and Consulates overseas will continue during the lapse in appropriations as the situation permits."

According to a report by the Economic Times, during previous shutdowns, the processing times for visas and passports slackened. 

Across countries, embassies have flagged that public communications, social media updates and notices will be suspended except for urgent safety or security alerts.

Since federal agencies cannot spend money beyond emergencies when a government shutdown happens, functions that are nonessential have been kept on hold until Congress restores funding.

Roughly 750,000 federal workers are expected to be furloughed, some potentially fired by US President Donald Trump's Republican administration. Many offices will be shuttered, perhaps permanently, as Trump vows to "do things that are irreversible, that are bad" as retribution. His deportation agenda is expected to run full speed ahead, while education, environmental and other services sputter. The economic fallout is expected to ripple nationwide.

This is the third time Trump has presided over a federal funding lapse, the first since his return to the White House this year, in a remarkable record that underscores the polarising divide over budget priorities and a political climate that rewards hard-line positions rather than more traditional compromises.