The Consular Newsletter (August 11-17, 2025)

This week, the EU transitions to digital Schengen visas, while calls grow to close the French Consulate in Jerusalem over Macron’s Palestinian state plan.

Every Monday, the Consular Newsletter updates consular officials, diplomats, migration lawyers, researchers, and travel industry professionals with the latest major news on consular affairs and diplomatic networks. Keep informed!

Contents: A. Announcements. B. Video of the week. C. Consular affairs. D. The diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings. E. Passports, visas, and migration fraud. F. Perspectives. G. Get daily news. H. Support consular research. I. Thanks.

---

A. Announcements

• Got a story, perspective, or analysis to share? The Consular Magazine invites writings on migration and travel – especially where government policy, action, or diplomacy play a role. The Magazine is open to all, from students and young professionals to seasoned experts.

• If you are a media professional or organization interested in updating The Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings or partnering with the Center, feel free to contact us.

B. Video of the week

C. Consular affairs

Multiple continents

• 47 Israelis stranded in Bosnia after passports end up in waste bin. Jewish News Syndicate

• Mali’s junta arrests generals and French national over alleged coup plot. The Guardian

• Massachusetts man sentenced to 26 months for threats to synagogues, Israel consulate. Reuters

• Sa’ar pushing to shut French consulate in Jerusalem in response to Macron’s plans to recognize Palestinian state. The Times of Israel

• The shadow diplomat shaping US-Pakistan power corridors quietly. The Sunday Guardian

Americas

• Guest opinion: why I’m afraid to apply for a passport in the US. Bay Area Reporter

• Student visas to be upended under Trump admin proposal. Newsweek

• U.S. pauses Visitor Visas for Gazans after right-wing outcry. The New York Times

• US imposes visa restrictions on Brazilian officials for working with Cuban medical mission. Politico

Europe

• Individuals who claimed influence over officials at the Romanian Consulate in Odessa wanted in Moldova. Romania Insider

• The digitization of Schengen visas: does this mean requirements are changing? Legal Reader

Africa, Asia, Middle East, Oceania, and Pacific Islands

• Stay tuned for next week's newsletter.

---

D. The diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings

• Pakistan cuts fuel, water to Indian High Commission staff in Islamabad after Op Sindoor. StratNewsGlobal

• Party chief attends inauguration of Vietnam’s Consulate General in Busan. Vietnam Law and Legal Forum

• Russia pushes for Varna Consulate, Bulgaria clarifies: 'No building, no opening'. Novinite

Are you aware of any recent openings or closures of embassies, high commissions, consular posts, or permanent missions? Feel free to update the database: https://arcg.is/1TDPiy1

---

E. Passport, visas, and migration fraud

• Fiji immigration warns of fake visa website. Fiji Sun

• Home Office phishing scam targets UK immigration sponsors. Infosecurity Magazine

• Milimani Court denies businessman’s bid to retrieve passport in Ksh.356M fraud case. Citizen Digital

• Peruvian citizen arrested in Connecticut faces immigration fraud charges. Fox61

• Proof of belonging: Asian American citizens carry passports amid ICE fears. Northwest Asian Weekly

• Two Nigerians jailed for human trafficking, three others for passport fraud in Tema. GhanaWeb

---

F. Perspectives

• ⚠️ Your passport photo is now a police mugshot (by

  Graham Rowan
  ).

• AI is coming for your visa (by

  Dan Kowalski
  ).

• Chinese passports for Uyghurs in 2025 (by

  Arslan Hidayat
  and
  Nuriman Abdureshid
  ).

• Dolores Huerta and the H-2A visa (by

  Joe Guzzardi
  ).

• Getting a new passport (by

  Roni Askey-Doran
  ).

• Ghosts don’t need a passport (by

  John Rebell
  ).

• How you can disrupt the H1B for fun and employment (by

  Copernican
  ).

• Remembering Afghanistan's collapse four years ago (by

  Sasha Ingber
  ).

• Smuggling cocaine to France with a Nigerian passport? (by

  Hauwa
  ).

• The left and right have failed us on migration (by

  Hein de Haas
  ).

• The passport (by

  Nancy Schoellkopf
  ).

• These countries will sell you a passport (by

  Etienne de la Boetie2
  ).

• Visa refusal as a political weapon (by

  Israel Unplugged
  ).

• When Guam tried to “ban” a Micronesian diplomat (by

  Patrick Pedrus
  ).

The views expressed are those of the authors only and not the Center.

---

G. Get daily news

• Consular affairs via Bluesky, Facebook, KakaoTalk, Line, LinkedIn, Substack, Telegram, Threads, Viber, VK, WhatsApp, and X.

• The diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings via LinkedIn.

• Passports, visas, and migration fraud via LinkedIn.

---

H. Support consular research

Support is possible via a donation. Your generosity helps a lot. Thank you very much.

---

I. Thanks

Partner: Yonsei University.

We are grateful to the news sources that contributed to bringing you this week's highlights. The views expressed are those of the authors only and not the Center.