Biden Administration Faces Backlog of 380,000 Waiting to Immigrate

Caleb Hampton, New York Times, Feb. 3, 2021

"A State Department official said in federal court last month that, as of Dec. 31, more than 380,000 immigrant visa applicants were awaiting a consular interview. Immigration experts said it would take up to a year under normal circumstances to work through that many applications. ... The backlog will keep growing, immigration experts said, until the new administration removes the immigration ban and figures out how to adjudicate visas in places where there are many Covid-19 cases. Even then, former consular officers warn, staff shortages, a budget shortfall and hiring limitations mean the backlog could take years to eliminate."