The Consular Newsletter (December 08-14, 2025)

This week, ICE accidentally published a "watch list" of immigration lawyers, while Libya uncovered mass identity fraud granting foreigners national IDs.

Every week, 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!

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A. Announcements

• Support consular research by becoming a Partner, Member, or Donor.

• Your organization can sponsor this newsletter. Please feel free to contact the Center.

B. Video of the week

C. Consular affairs

Multiple continents

• A granular look at the Iranian Embassy in London’s hostage crisis. Inkstick

• Consulate in Chicago denies: it is not true that the flag of the so-called Kosovo is flying on our building! Serbian Times

• Former Tehran embassy hostage denounces US deportations of Iranians. Iran International

• US condemns Houthi detention of embassy staff in Yemen. Reuters

Americas

• 10 people living in one condo in Silicon Valley: Steve Bannon says H-1B ‘scam’ can’t be reformed. The Times of India

• 20 states lodge lawsuit against Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee. Politico

• Attorney uncovers ‘ICE watch list’ of prominent US immigration lawyers. Border Report

• I’m an American-born dual citizen. My senator wants to take my passport. USA Today

• US embassy tightens screening, says ‘birth’ tourism visas will be denied. The American Bazaar

• Venezuelan authorities prevent Cardinal Porras from traveling, cancel passport. Catholic News Agencyt

Asia

• Foreign Ministry to strengthen consular services amid rising safety risks to nationals abroad. Korea JoongAng Daily

• Taiwanese lose status after obtaining single-use Chinese passport. Taipei Times

Europe

• EU: ministers propose unprecedented detention, sanctions, and stripping of rights based on migration status. Amnesty International

• New British passport engraved with His Majesty’s coat of arms. Identity Week

Middle East

• Integrating the Israeli diaspora into the fabric of Israeli society. The Times of Israel

• Kurdistani diaspora group expands efforts to build unified national lobby abroad. Kurdistan24

• We never thought we would return’: how Syria’s liberation opened the door for its diaspora to come home. The New Arab

Africa, Oceania, and Pacific Islands

• Stay tuned for next week's newsletter.

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D. The diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings

• Best project, government building: new U.S. Consulate General Mérida. Engineering-News Record

• China wants a “super embassy” in the heart of London. Critics fear it could be a hub for intel gathering. CBS News

• Ukraine opens consular office in Poland’s Rzeszów. Polskie Radio

• Sweden closing Embassy in Bolivia. MercoPress

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E. Passports, visas, and migration fraud

• Bogus accountant who gave fake jobs to visa applicants jailed. The Times

• Libya uncovers mass identity fraud granting foreigners national numbers. The Arab Weekly

• Undocumented Zimbabwean nabbed with over 500 passports, cash suspected for illegal stamping. Sowetan

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F. Honorary consuls

• Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter.

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G. Current honorary consul jobs

• United Kingdom in Baden-Württemberg state, Germany (deadline: January 15, 2026)

• Access jobs: link

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H. Perspectives

• Consulates: when geopolitics knock at your door (by Christopher Benítez Cuartas)

• Cutting through the toxic politics around migration and population 📈s and 📉s (by @Andy Andy @Revkin)

• Diasporas, community capital and the real mechanics of trust (by Solenne Niedercorn-Desouches)

• Forget visiting the U.S. as a tourist (by Sree Sreenivasan)

• Functional traveler gifts/tougher Italian passport/cheaper streaming options (by Tim Leffel)

• Guided by the stars no more: a roadmap to retiring abroad! (Part 1) (by Manasa Nadig, EA)

• Jobs, passports, taxes, and companies: your realistic playbook as an immigrant (by Atal Agarwal)

• My life in passports (by Liza Blue)

• Passport, please...and let’s see your socials—wait, what? (by Shay Stewart-Bouley)

• Portuguese diaspora (by David Sean Rogers)

• Some seasonal advice: what diplomats do under the mistletoe (by David Landsman)

• The one-way migration machine (by Aynaz Anni Cyrus)

• The migration mirage (by Matusik Missive)

• Why travel insurance is worth it (by Jennifer Kirk)

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I. Get daily news

• Consular affairs via Bluesky, Facebook, KakaoTalk, Line, LinkedIn, Mastodon, 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.

• Honorary consuls via LinkedIn.

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J. Supporting consular research

The Consular Affairs Center warmly thanks its Partners, Members, and Donors for their support.

Incubating partner: Yonsei University.

Support consular research by becoming a Partner, Member, or Donor. Media professionals interested in contributing to The Diplomatic and Consular Networks Database and Rankings, please feel free to contact the Center.

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The views expressed are solely those of the author(s), not of the Center.

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