With large parts of the federal government shuttered since midnight 31 January, many travellers feared a replay of 2019 when passport issuance slowed dramatically. On 2 February, however, the Bureau of Consular Affairs posted a rare “lapse in appropriations” notice reassuring the public that domestic passport agencies, overseas embassies and U.S. consulates "will remain operational during the lapse." Funding comes from fee-based accounts that do not require annual congressional appropriations, allowing essential services such as visa adjudication, emergency American-citizen assistance and overseas absentee-voting support to continue.
The clarification is vital for companies moving staff internationally this quarter. Roughly 400,000 U.S. passports and 240,000 visas are issued each month; any pause would have caused cascading delays ahead of the busy spring travel period. Consular managers nevertheless warn of indirect impacts: shortages of contract guards and local support staff paid from lapsed appropriations could shrink public-hour windows, and embassy travel by furloughed DHS officers may be curtailed.
![State Department Confirms Passports and Visas Will Continue During Shutdown]()
For travelers and HR departments that prefer an extra layer of certainty, VisaHQ can manage the end-to-end process for U.S. passport renewals and visa applications, flagging any document gaps and monitoring changing consular hours in real time. The platform’s dashboard centralizes updates and appointment bookings, helping users sidestep backlogs that sometimes accompany government shutdowns. Learn more at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Global mobility teams should build extra lead time into passport renewals and interview scheduling in case individual posts scale back. Travellers whose flights coincide with potential government funding votes should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive any emergency updates. Employers sponsoring foreign talent should monitor the shutdown negotiations: a prolonged impasse could still disrupt premium-processing upgrades at USCIS service centres, which rely on both user fees and appropriated funds.
The State Department’s proactive statement helps preserve confidence in U.S. travel infrastructure during fiscal turbulence, but HR leaders are advised to communicate contingency plans to relocating staff and maintain close contact with immigration counsel until a full spending bill is enacted.
The clarification is vital for companies moving staff internationally this quarter. Roughly 400,000 U.S. passports and 240,000 visas are issued each month; any pause would have caused cascading delays ahead of the busy spring travel period. Consular managers nevertheless warn of indirect impacts: shortages of contract guards and local support staff paid from lapsed appropriations could shrink public-hour windows, and embassy travel by furloughed DHS officers may be curtailed.
For travelers and HR departments that prefer an extra layer of certainty, VisaHQ can manage the end-to-end process for U.S. passport renewals and visa applications, flagging any document gaps and monitoring changing consular hours in real time. The platform’s dashboard centralizes updates and appointment bookings, helping users sidestep backlogs that sometimes accompany government shutdowns. Learn more at https://www.visahq.com/united-states/
Global mobility teams should build extra lead time into passport renewals and interview scheduling in case individual posts scale back. Travellers whose flights coincide with potential government funding votes should enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to receive any emergency updates. Employers sponsoring foreign talent should monitor the shutdown negotiations: a prolonged impasse could still disrupt premium-processing upgrades at USCIS service centres, which rely on both user fees and appropriated funds.
The State Department’s proactive statement helps preserve confidence in U.S. travel infrastructure during fiscal turbulence, but HR leaders are advised to communicate contingency plans to relocating staff and maintain close contact with immigration counsel until a full spending bill is enacted.
