The Consular Newsletter (March 02-08, 2026)

This week, the US and Venezuela restored consular relations, while foreign nationals in the Middle East are evacuating the region.

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. This week, the US and Venezuela restored consular relations, while foreign nationals in the Middle East are evacuating the region.

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A. Announcements

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

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

B. Video of the week

C. Consular affairs

Multiple continents

• An immigrant’s worth comes from God, not a visa. L’Osservatore Romano

• Canadian newspaper alleges Indian intelligence officer linked to Nijjar killing. The Tribune

• EU halts visa-free travel for Georgian officials. Reuters

• Kremlin suspends internal Russian passport issuance in Abkhazia. The Jamestown Foundation

• PH Embassy in Israel confirms the death of a Filipina caregiver in Tel Aviv. GMA Network

• Seattle Consul General dances on TikTok to engage youth. The Chosun Ilbo

• US imposes visa restrictions on senior Rwandan officials over eastern Congo. Reuters

• When work visas stall, business can’t. HR Executive

Americas

• Louisiana crawfish industry facing $300M threat amid cap on visa programs. KPLC 7 News

• UCF professor, student react to Florida’s H-1B hiring freeze. Spectrum News 13

• US and Venezuela restore diplomatic and consular ties after seven-year rupture. MercoPress

Europe

• Hungary has yet to take real steps to grant consular access to seven detained Ukrainians. Ukrinform

• UK-born tycoon applies for German passport due to Jew-hate. Jewish News Syndicate

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

• Stay tuned for next week's newsletter.

D. The diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings

• Azerbaijan readies to evacuate Embassy and Consulate in Iran. The Caspian Post

• Explosion at US embassy in Oslo may have been terrorism, Norway police say. BBC

• Qatar relocates residents near U.S. Embassy. IranWire

• U.S. Embassy in Baghdad targeted as Iraq gets drawn deeper into regional war. The New York Times

E. Passport, visas, and migration fraud

• Maryland man ‘Beautiful Life Allah’ gets prison time for passport, SSN fraud scheme. Daily Voice Elkton

• Namibia Embassy staff robber admits burning diplomatic passport, sold iPhone 15Pro-Max for Ghc2,000 at Circle. Modern Ghana

• Passport scam: US-based Nigerians cry out over activities of ‘cleric’ linked to Atlanta Consulate. Vanguard

• Tangier authorities suspected fraud in Spanish visa applications. Morocco World News

F. Honorary consuls

• Swiss government opts against crackdown on honorary consuls and shady dealings. SwissInfo

G. Consular jobs and internships

A non-exhaustive selection

• Australia in Bangkok, Thailand / Consular and Passport Manager (deadline: March 17)

• Canada in Playa del Carmen, Mexico / Senior Consular Officer (deadline: March 29)

• France in Erbil, Iraq / Consul Général (deadline: March 17)

• Access jobs and internships (link)

• Access honorary consul jobs (link)

H. Migration laws, regulations, and policies

A non-exhaustive selection

• [Japan] 出入国管理及び難民認定法及び出入国管理及び難民認定法第二条第五号ロの旅券を所持する外国人の上陸申請の特例に関する法律の一部を改正する法律案について. MOJ / ISA

• [New Zealand] Visitor visa fees temporarily reduced for Pacific nationals. MBIE / Immigration

• [United Kingdom] Updates on the move to eVisas. Home Office / UKVI

I. Perspectives

• “Lost Canadians” and citizenship by descent (by Frenchtown)

• Day 3 in exile (by Lisa Flynn)

• Décision du TAR : le titre saisonnier doit être délivré (by Avv. Fabio Loscerbo)

• Interintellect joins the French Embassy in the USA at the Villa Albertine on March 31 (by Anna Gát and Interintellect)

• La guerre met à l’épreuve le Pacte sur la migration et l’asile (by Christian Spillmann, David Carretta, and Oliver Grimm)

• No way out, no way home for American travelers stuck in missile-targeted UAE (by Jessica Burbank)

• On London extra: the immigration swamp (by Dave Hill)

• Pakistan puts its pilgrims on record (by Syed Salman Mehdi)

• SIS alert and visa cancellation: the Administrative Court of Rome rejects automatic decisions (by Avv. Fabio Loscerbo)

• Spain has two immigration systems. Here’s the one that moves in only 20 working days (by LuxNomads)

• The Foreign Office should offer Brits free flights home from the Gulf (by Ian Proud)

• The H-1B wage gap really is that large (by George Borjas)

• The human cost of mass detention: ICE reports 9th custodial death of 2026, 38th of Trump II Administration (by Austin Kocher)

• Travel advisory updates: security considerations in the Middle East (by Brian Colburn)

• Wet pants (pants in the American sense), nice ladies, and the peculiar nature of time, in Dublin, 1989 (by Lynda E. Rucker)

J. Get daily news

• Bluesky, Facebook, KakaoTalk, Line, LinkedIn, Mastodon, Substack, Telegram, Threads, Viber, VK, WhatsApp, and X for consular affairs.

• LinkedIn for the diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings.

• LinkedIn for passports, visas, and migration fraud.

• LinkedIn for honorary consuls.

• LinkedIn for consular jobs and internships (a non-exhaustive selection).

• LinkedIn for migration, laws, regulations, and policies (a non-exhaustive selection).

K. Supporting consular research

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

Incubating partner: Yonsei University Country research partner: (AL) Albanian Institute for International Studies

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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