#us-visa-pause

#us-visa-pause

"This current adjudication landscape undermines the principle of merit-based entry by creating localities where visa requests are not judged on their own merit."

Naturalization is often the best, most logical path forward for those without the necessary family ties or funds. It involves living legally in the country for a set number of years, demonstrating familiarity with the language, and sometimes passing a test on history, culture, and the political system.

At least a dozen countries have updated their travel guidance for the US over the past year, including Canada, the UK, and Germany-countries that have historically been top drivers of inbound tourism to the US. Coupled with the Trump administration's recent entry restrictions and increased visa fees, the uptick in warnings has made some international visitors wary about traveling stateside, says Larry Yu, a professor of hospitality management at The George Washington University's School of Business.

Spy thrillers have often included characters with multiple passports to evoke drama and suspense. The reality of having more than one passport is far tamer, but can help travelers navigate difficult visa situations and provide more flexibility for trips abroad. Even having a duplicate of a passport can be helpful if your primary passport is damaged, lost, or stolen. Here's everything travelers need to know about holding multiple passports, including how many you can have, how to obtain a second passport,

At the same time, however, the United States is hemorrhaging billions in tourism revenue by the year, a downward trend many experts credit to President Donald Trump's nationalistic approach to immigration. In December, the administration expanded its travel ban to 39 countries-most of them in Africa-that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem claimed had "been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies" on X.

USCIS expects that new work permit applications for asylum seekers "would be paused for an extended period, possibly many years."

That was the case for Mailan Pacios, a 28-year-old Cuban immigrant living in Tennessee, who was scheduled to take her citizenship exam on January 8, only to receive a notice on January 3 that her appointment had been canceled. It was like a bucket of cold water. It's very painful when you come with the hope of moving forward and this happens, says Pacios, who has two children, owns an air-conditioning business, and insists she has never had legal problems nor been a public burden.

One of the US government's top scientific research labs is taking steps that could drive away foreign scientists, a shift lawmakers and sources tell WIRED could cost the country valuable expertise and damage the agency's credibility. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) helps determine the frameworks underpinning everything from cybersecurity to semiconductor manufacturing. Some of NIST's recent work includes establishing guidelines for securing AI systems and identifying health concerns with air purifiers and firefighting gloves.

In a letter addressed to Purdue leadership, which was publicized Friday and shared exclusively with the Guardian, dozens of signatories argue that the university soft banning students based on their nationality erodes higher education's core values of meritocracy, equality and academic freedom. They called on Purdue to clarify any instructions it has given graduate admissions committees and to restore offers to scores of international students they say the university rescinded last year.