World Visa Academy – Daily Global Visa and Immigration Update

Date: 29/07/2026

United States
DHS Scraps Guaranteed Asylum Interviews
Big Alert
Asylum / Humanitarian Protection

What it means:
The Department of Homeland Security has ended the long standing rule that gave every affirmative asylum applicant a sit down interview with a trained officer before a decision was made. Effective immediately, officers can now send a case straight to an immigration judge if the existing file already suggests the applicant is ineligible or unlikely to win discretionary approval. DHS expects around 132,000 future filers to be affected each year, while a much larger share of the current backlog, close to 450,000 pending cases by one estimate, could also be moved without an interview.

Impact:
Consultants handling affirmative asylum cases should prepare clients for the real possibility of skipping the officer interview entirely and appearing before a judge instead. Applicants without legal representation are most exposed, since they lose their one real chance to explain their situation before a formal hearing. Advisors should review pending client files now and flag any case that looks thin or incomplete on paper, since those are the ones most likely to be referred without an interview.

Africa (25 Countries)
US Visa Services Shift to Regional Hubs
Breaking Alert
Visitor / Immigrant / Student Visas

What it means:
Starting 1 August 2026, the US State Department will stop routine visa processing at 25 embassies and consulates across Africa, including posts in Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Botswana, Mali and Niger, and move applicants to 20 regional hubs such as Accra, Nairobi, Lagos and Johannesburg.

Impact:
Anyone who has already paid the visa fee at a post losing routine services must book an appointment by 31 July 2026 or forfeit that payment. Consultants across Africa should immediately check which hub now serves each client's home country and adjust travel and budget planning, since interview wait times at the busier hubs are likely to grow quickly.

Japan
Immigration Agency Proposes Tougher Permanent Residency Rules
Active Alert
Permanent Residency

What it means:
Japan's Immigration Services Agency has drafted new guidelines requiring permanent residency applicants to earn more than the average Japanese household income and show pension contributions equal to 30 years in the employees' pension system. A related draft would also raise the application fee from 10,000 yen to roughly 200,000 yen. The government plans to finalise the rules on 1 October 2026, applying them to applications filed from around April 2027.

Impact:
Clients working toward Japanese permanent residency should review their income and pension records now, since the new thresholds could disqualify long term residents who assumed they were close to qualifying. Consultants should advise clients with weaker financial profiles to file before the new rules take hold wherever possible.

United States
ICE Expands Airport Arrests of Visa Overstayers
Active Alert
Enforcement / Nonimmigrant Visas

What it means:
Immigration agents in plain clothes have begun arresting foreign nationals with expired visas directly at airport check in counters and arrival gates, including spouses of American citizens. The tactic has now been used at more than 15 airports across the country in recent weeks.

Impact:
Consultants should warn any client with an expired or lapsed status, even those with a pending application or an American family member, that domestic air travel now carries real enforcement risk. Clients should resolve status issues with an attorney before booking any flight within the United States.

United States
TPS Work Permits for Somalia, Ethiopia, South Sudan and Burma Face New Deadlines
Reminder
Temporary Protected Status

What it means:
USCIS has been issuing short, rolling extensions of TPS work permits while litigation continues. Somalia's extension expires today, 29 July, Ethiopia and South Sudan's extensions run to 30 July, and Burma's runs to 3 August.

Impact:
Consultants advising TPS holders from these four countries should check the USCIS TPS webpage daily this week, since another short extension, a longer renewal, or a termination could be announced at any time. Employers should be told not to assume automatic renewal without confirming the latest posted date.

United Kingdom
Sweeping Immigration Rule Changes Take Effect This Week
Upcoming
Visitor / Family / Deportation Rules

What it means:
Statement of Changes HC 259, laid before Parliament on 9 July, brings its first wave into force on 30 July 2026, covering the EU Settlement Scheme and family permits. The remaining changes across more than 30 sections of the Immigration Rules, including wider deportation powers for suspended prison sentences, take effect on 3 August.

Impact:
Consultants should tell clients with pending EU Settlement Scheme or family permit applications to submit before 30 July wherever possible, since applications lodged before that date are assessed under the current rules. Clients with any criminal record, even a suspended sentence, should get legal advice immediately given the expanded deportation grounds.

Pro Tip for Immigration Consultants
When an agency says a rule "takes effect immediately," check the official gazette or federal register text yourself rather than relying on news summaries, since the exact effective date and case scope often differ between reports.