Their Papers Mired in Pandemic Backlog, Visa Seekers Go to Court

Visa applicants facing agency processing delays are turning to the federal courts for relief that can save their employment and investments. The strategy is yielding, at best, mixed results.

U.S. State Department embassies and consulates abroad have seen their visa interview backlogs grow from 75,000 at the start of 2020 to 473,000 by February of this year, Consular Affairs Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Visa Services Julie M. Stufft said at a briefing this month.

The ballooning backlogs are a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and closures that were necessary to protect staff and the public, both in the U.S. ...