The US has announced it will now deny temporary visas to applicants who say they fear harm or mistreatment if they return to their home country, under new State Department guidance that significantly raises the stakes for millions of visa seekers worldwide.
The Department of State has directed consular officers at embassies and consulates around the world to suspend visa interviews unless applicants confirm they have not experienced harm and do not fear returning home. “Those who answer yes or refuse to respond to either question will see their chances of approval skyrocket toward denial,” the directive first reported by the Guardian stated.
The two mandatory questions – “Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country of nationality or last habitual residence?” and “Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning to your country of nationality?” according to the Department are aimed at reducing cases of people “misrepresenting themselves during the visa process.”
The policy effectively filters out asylum seekers and applicants from conflict zones who rely on visitor, student, or business visas to escape danger, forcing them to disclose fears that could lead to automatic refusal.
The directive is the latest in a series of visa restrictions introduced by the Department of State since 2024 as part of a broader immigration crackdown.
Earlier last year, the Department expanded social media vetting for all F, M, and J visa applicants, requiring consular officers to examine five years of public online activity for hostile attitudes toward U.S. institutions.
In October 2025, visa interview waivers were suspended for most non-immigrant categories, ending pandemic-era drop-box renewals and requiring applicants to attend in-person interviews.
By January 2026, the State Department introduced a visa bond pilot programme for countries with high overstay rates, requiring some B1/B2 applicants to pay bonds ranging from $5,000 to $15,000, refundable only upon timely departure.
Consular officers have also been instructed to apply stricter scrutiny to applicants from countries with higher fraud or security risks, with Nigeria, Ghana, and Cameroon among those flagged internally for additional checks on financial documents and travel history.
The new directive takes immediate effect at all embassies and consulates.
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