The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE US Embassy in Nassau will provide scheduled passport and visa services despite the partial shutdown of its government, officials said yesterday.

In a message posted to Facebook and Twitter, the US Embassy said: “Due to the lapse in appropriations, this Facebook (Twitter) account will not be updated regularly. Please note that scheduled passport and visa services will continue in the US and overseas during the lapse in appropriations as the situation permits.”

US embassies around the world released identical statements as work resumed following the holidays.

According to Boundless, a US immigration advocacy group, long shutdowns known to approach one month “have sapped resources from the State Department as a whole, and led consulates to restrict visa processing activity to only emergency situations.” The State Department collects user fees to fund its visa operations. The Washington Post has also reported that although the State Department says it will keep issuing passports and visas, it has warned that such activities “will remain operational as long as there are sufficient fees to support operations.”

The US government shutdown comes amid a standoff between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats over funds for a wall along the US-Mexico border.