The U.S. Department of State has announced a major change to immigration visa services for Haitian nationals.
As of August 28, 2025, applications for legal permanent residence filed by Haitians will no longer be processed in Port-au-Prince, but at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, Bahamas, according to an official notice published by the Consular Affairs Section on its website.
It advised applicants to consult the embassy’s page for detailed instructions and to contact the National Visa Center to confirm or request appointments.
The move comes as Haiti’s security crisis continues to worsen, limiting the ability of the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince to operate. The mission has been under a departure order for months, with only a small emergency team remaining on the ground. Routine consular services, including visa processing, have been severely disrupted.
By shifting Haitian immigrant visa cases to Nassau, U.S. officials say they aim to ensure a more secure and functional process for applicants while maintaining essential consular operations.
Applicants should note the following:
- Existing Appointments: Existing immigrant visa appointments will generally not be rescheduled or cancelled.
- Post to Post Transfers: Beginning immediately, if an applicant would like to transfer her or his immigrant visa case to a new consular district after the National Visa Center has scheduled the appointment, the applicant should contact the National Visa Center. The applicant should not contact the consular section directly. Applicants should use the National Visa Center’s Public Inquiry Form.
- Residence Requirement: If an applicant requests to interview in a location other than the applicant’s assigned consular district or country of nationality, the National Visa Center may request additional information to confirm that location is an applicant’s place of residence, or to confirm whether an exception may be appropriate.
- Exceptions: Rare exceptions may be made for humanitarian or medical emergencies or foreign policy reasons.
- Diversity Visas: These changes will be applied to Diversity Visa applicants in the DV-2026 program year.
