Immigration Policy US Visas · 2026

The Trump administration has quietly introduced a new interview requirement that could derail millions of visa applications — and immigration experts say it puts the most vulnerable applicants in an impossible position.

Millions of people apply for US visas every year — tourists, students, seasonal workers, people visiting family. Most of them assume the process is about proving who they are and why they’re going. Under a new directive from the Trump administration, it’s now also about what they say when asked how safe they feel at home. And the stakes for getting that wrong just got much higher.

The US State Department has sent a directive to all American embassies and consulates worldwide, instructing visa officers to add two specific questions to interviews for non-immigrant visas — the tourist, student, and work visa categories that cover the vast majority of temporary travel to the United States.

THE TWO NEW QUESTIONS EVERY APPLICANT WILL BE ASKED

Question 1 “Have you experienced harm or mistreatment in your country of nationality or last habitual residence?”

Question 2 “Do you fear harm or mistreatment in returning to your country of nationality or permanent residence?”