The Consular Newsletter (November 17-23, 2025)

This week, the Trump administration fast-tracked visas for World Cup ticket holders, while a family claims French Embassy grounds in Iraq.

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. Contact the Center to learn more.

B. Video of the week

C. Consular affairs

Multiple continents

• Another Western scam?’: Reactions as UK’s new student-to-founder visa stirs distrust across Africa. Business Insider Africa

• US revokes visa of former South African minister who initiated genocide case against Israel. Middle East Eye

• Vilnius seeks help providing consular services in China as Beijing stays silent. LRT

Americas

• No Real ID? It could cost you $18 to go through TSA checkpoints under proposed rule. ABC News

• Trump administration to prioritize visa interviews for World Cup ticket holders. Politico

Europe

• Closure of the last Russian consulate and anti-Ukrainian sentiment. The political landscape after Russian sabotage. XYZ

• Russian exiles see Europe visa rule as blow against them, not Putin. The New York Times

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

• Stay tuned for next week's newsletter.

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D. The diplomatic and consular networks database and rankings

• A family’s claim on French Embassy grounds in Iraq reaches the Élysée. Kurdistan24

• First Russian center in Philippines opens in Mandaue City. Philstar

• Marines under fire: defending the U.S. Embassy in gang-ravaged Haiti. Military

• Philippines pledges bigger consulate-run shelter for helpers in Hong Kong. South China Morning Post

• Poland closes last Russian consulate after ‘act of state terrorism’ on railway. The Guardian

• Russia to open consular office in northern Cyprus for “practical reasons”. Greek City Times

• Russia to reduce Poland’s diplomatic presence after closure of Gdansk Consulate. AL24 News

• UK expected to approve plans for Chinese mega embassy. BBC

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E. Passport, visas, and migration fraud

• Australia joins global partners to combat visa fraud during International Fraud Awareness Week. The Economic Times

• Belarus MFA to coordinate honorary consuls with KGB. Reformation

• Fraudsters in Pakistan drag Canadian High Commission into fake visa scam. Wion

• Howland man faces $250,000 fine after passport fraud conviction. Bangor Daily News

• South Africa’s new electronic visa system to turbocharge tourism, crush identity fraud, Schreiber promises. Polity

• Three-year sentence in Moroccan consulate fraud, second suspect wanted by Interpol. Yabiladi

• UK expands visa fraud campaign in India to tackle illegal migration. British Government

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F. Honorary consuls

• Stay tuned for next week’s newsletter.

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G. Current honorary consul jobs

• Access jobs: link

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H. Perspectives

• Because of ICE, the Deportation Defense Network of RI demands widespread, easy access to virtual court hearings, conferences, and trials (by

  Steve Ahlquist
  )

• Britain’s reforms of immigration are self-contradictory (by

  Bruce Oliver Newsome, Ph.D.
  )

• Confront reality: illegal immigration creates problems (by

  Peter Sage
  )

• How Europe’s migration rules keep creating the “irregular migrants” they claim to catch (by

  Nando Sigona
  )

• Indian bodyshops: the pipeline of mass immigration and visa fraud (by

  Matt Forney
  )

• 🇮🇹 Meet your friendly Italian consular officer (by

  Tiernan McKay
  )

• Jamal Khashoggi will haunt Mohammed Bin Salman forever (by

  Karen Attiah
  )

• Passport to a leisurely 48 hours in Rome (by

  Chelsea Martin
  )

• The passport (by

  Nicole Alvarez
  )

• Trump’s bold visa stance: obesity as a hidden national security risk (by

  Mitha
  )

• Why I live on the European continent as an American (by

  Dr. Wanyoung Kim-Murphy
  )

• Will there be a billion nomads by 2035? (by

  Lauren Razavi
  )

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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. If you are a media professional wishing to contribute 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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