Iranian Visa & Refugee Processing in the Biden Era
President Joe Biden was right to remove the Muslim Ban on Day One of his administration. Yet, as his term ends after four years, the processing of visas for Iranians under his administration never returned to anything approaching the levels that were seen under the Obama administration. This marks a failure that tarnishes President Biden’s commendable step to end the Muslim Ban on Day One of his Presidency. Moreover, Iranians and others now await Trump’s plans to reimpose and expand the Muslim ban, risking separating many Iranian families once again. Below are key trends that we have observed in the processing of Iranian visas over the past calendar year and throughout the Biden administration: Trump’s Ban Still Looms Over Iranian Visa Processing While many more Iranian visa and refugee admissions arguably could have been facilitated by the Biden administration, it is important to emphasize that President Biden’s decision to end the Muslim ban made a difference for many Iranian-American families and their loved ones. If the ban had remained in place, more than 60,000 Iranian nationals who received visas under existing policies would likely have been barred from receiving them under the ban. This includes Iranians receiving visitor visas to